The 54th Infantry Brigade, 1914-1918; some records of battle and laughter in France

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THE 54th INFANTRY BRIGADE, 1914—1918

TO

Our Old Comrades,

THE

Officers, Non-commissioned Officers

AND Men

of the

54TH INFANTRY BRIGADE,

Who fell Gloriously during our Four Years' Service,

1914-1918,

TO win the final victory,

this little record of their achievements

is dedicated.

M o

^ a

-7-

Printed for private circulation only

THE

54th INFANTRY BRIGADE

1914-1918

Some Records of Battle and Laughter
in France

Printed by
GALE « POLDEN Ltd.. Wellington Works. Aldershot
London and Portsmouth

AUTHOR'S FOREWORD

The above heading is quite misleading. There has been no
author — or, rather, there has been no one author, for this book
is made up of the stories and recollections of all ranks. If it
fell to one fellow's lot to collect the stories and pass them on to
the printer, that was simply his excuse for sitting and smoking
in his billet whilst the rest of the Brigade were out on ' ' salvage ' '
during these last months in France.

The fact that the book is to be regarded as written by the
Brigade itself, and not by any individual, explains why you will
find, " We went forward here," or " We dug in there," on so
many of the pages, as though the writer had been present on
every occasion when the Brigade went into action. You must
imagine this book written b}' the Spirit of the Brigade, which
shared every tour in the line, went over with each battalion
behind every barrage, and never missed a parade.

But even the Spirit of the Brigade has its limitations. Some
who read this book will turn to a particular chapter and say,
" Why, they've missed one of the best incidents in that fight " ;
or, "A very funny thing happened in that sector — pity it's
been left out." Well, that's where it is better to drop all this
talk about an omnipresent Spirit of the Brigade, and confess
that we are only human, and that we could only put into this
book the material that was received. Goodness knows we
worried everyone we could get at for stories and recollections,
and goodness knows everyone we worried was patient and kindly
beyond words, and did his best to supply material for these
pages. If we failed to get hold of what you believe to have been
the best story of the whole campaign — well, sorry ! Better
luck next war !

One or two omissions have been unavoidable. Certain poi-
traits should have been in this book, and every effort was made to
get them, but up to the moment when the last pages had to go
to press they had not been received. Also, it had been fully
intended to print a full list — and it would have been a long
and splendid one — of all the honours and awards gained by
officers, non-commissioned officers, and men while serving with
the Brigade. Unhappily, the rough-and-tumble of service in
the field sometimes makes the keeping of full and exact records
impossible, and while some units furnished the lists required.

Vili AUTHOR S FOREWORD

others were unable to do so. In these circumstances it seemed
better, rather than pubhsh an incomplete record, to publish
none at all.

There is nothing more to say except to thank all those of all
ranks who have so good-naturedly assisted in compiling these
pages, and have borne patiently with the writer when he has
pestered them to fight their battles over again for our common
information.

E. R.
Headquarters,

54TH Infantry Brigade,
France.
March, 19 19.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAGE

Early Days in England... ... ... ... ... i

CHAPTER II
First Experiences in the Trenches ... ... ... ii

CHAPTER III
Further Experiences in the Trenches ... ... 20

CHAPTER IV
The Somme — July, iyi6 ... ... ... ... ... 31

CHAPTER V
Trones Wood ... ... ... ... ... ... 43

CHAPTER VI
Thiepval ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 51

CHAPTER VII
ScHvvABEN Redoubt and Regina Trench ... ... 68

CHAPTER VIII
Boom Ravine ... ... ... ... ... ... 75

CHAPTER IX

The German Retreat of 1917 ... ... ... ... 85

CHAPTER X
Cherisy ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 96

CHAPTER XI
The Ypres Salient and Glencorse Wood ... ... 105

CHAPTER XII
Houthulst Forest ... ... ... ... ... ... 117

X CONTENTS

CHAPTER XIII PAGE

The March Retreat ... ... ... ... ... 126

CHAPTER XIV
The Defence of Amiens 141

CHAPTER XV
Albert ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 154

CHAPTER XVI
The Bray-Corbie Road ... ... ... 161

CHAPTER XVII
The Passage of the Ancre-Combles ... ... ... 171

CHAPTER XVIII

Through the Hindenburg Line 178

CHAPTER XIX
Le Cateau and the Armistice i8g

APPENDIX A
Brigade Commanders, Brigade Majors, Staff Cap-
tains, Commanding Officers ... ... ... 201

APPENDIX B

Victoria Crosses

204

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The I 8th Division Memorial in Tkones Wood, where

THE 54TH Brigade had some Heavy Fighting Frontispiece

Facing Page
Brigadier-General L. de V. Sadleir-Jackson, C.B.,

C.M.G., D.S.0 32

Major-General T. H. Shoubridge, C.M.G., D.S.O. ... 33

Major-General W. C. G. Heneker, C.M.G., D.S.O. ... 48

Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Carr, D.S.O. ... ... 49

Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Sulman, M.C. ... ... 49

Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Percival, D.S.O., M.C. ... 80

The Late Lieutenant-Colonel G. R. Ripley ... ... 81

Lieutenant-Colonel K. Turner, D.S.O. ... ... 81

Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. C. M. Hore-Ruthven,

D.S.O 96

Major E. G. Miles, D.S.O., M.C 96

Captain G. F. J. Cumberlege, D.S.O., M.C. ... ... 96

Lieutenant-Colonel G. Pritchard-Taylor, D.S.O.,

M.C 97

Major Campbell, D.S.O., M.C 97

Major G. Ledgard, M.C. ... ... ... ... ... 128

The Late Major G. Bremner, D.S.O., M.C. ... ... 128

The Late Captain C. F. Pavitt, M.C. ... ... ... 129

Captain E. M. West, M.C. ... ... ... ... ... 129

The 54TH Infantry Brigade Battle Flags ... ... 144

Battle Flag of the iith (S.) Battalion Royal

Fusiliers ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 145

Battle Flag of the 7TH (S.) and 2nd Battalions

Bedfordshire Regiment ... ... ... ... 176

Battle Flag of the 6th (S.) Battalion Northampton-
shire Regiment ... ... ... ... ... ... 177

THE 54th INFANTRY BRIGADE,
1914-1918

Chapter I

EARLY DAYS IN ENGLAND

IT is a far cry from the early days of the war, when " Kitchener's
* Army" was shaking down— with much fun, much faith, and
much fervour, but little else in the way of uniform or equipment !
— to later days when the Service Battalions won their spurs and
made glorious traditions for brigades that were as new and
free from tradition as themselves. It is a story of hard work on
the training ground and in the line, of cheery steadfastness
through the darkest days, of a splendid contempt for pain and
death, of hardship which none can realize except those who had
it for their common round and daily task, but all brightened
by so much fun and good comradeship that none who knew
those days will look back on them without kindly memories.

It is the story, among so many others, of the 54th Infantry
Brigade.

Throw your mind back for a moment to those earliest
days. At least one officer, happily a survivor of the Old
Originals, has a vivid recollection of his first introduction
to the 7th Bedfordshire Regiment. He arrived on an after-
noon in the autumn of 19 14 at Liphook Station, and met
one of his men on the platform. He gasped — I am not
sure that he did not try to bolt, but he is silent on that
point — for the man was radiant and happy in scarlet tunic
with no belt, corduroy trousers, buttoned boots, and a black
bowler hat. It hardly mattered, after that, that he had a civilian
overcoat on his arm. And yet, I wonder whether we should not
cheer, rather than laugh ? The men who could face the small
boy in the street or the red-tabbed General alike in that fighting
kit was not hkely to have any unwholesome dread of the Ger-
mans ; and, after all, it was the men who rushed to join up in
those early days, when rifles could not be had and uniforms had
to be improvised, who were the salt of the New Armies. The

I B

world knows now that it is unsafe to provoke a nation that can
be gaily grim and martial in a scarlet tunic and a bowler hat.

More than four years later, on a cold, wet December day at
Serain, on ground torn by the shell-fire of the last victorious
push that ended the war, among the graves and debris of battle,
the 54th Brigade, its fighting days done, paraded with the rest
of the 1 8th Division for the last time. The Divisional Com-
mander, Major-General R. P. Lee, C.B., afterwards published the
following Order of the Day :—

I was more than pleased with the review of the Division to-
day, and congratulate all ranks on the turn-out and the ad-
mirable precision which marked all the parade manoeuvres.
It was a reflection of their glorious deeds.

The Division has taken part in most of the great battles,
from the Somme in 1916 down to the Armistice — i.e., " The
Somme," " The Ancre," (both autumn and spring), " Arras,"
" Flanders," " The retreat from the Oise," " The Defence
of Amiens," and lastly, " The Hundred Days' Victory."

Throughout these historical operations the Division has
proved itself equally strong both in attack and defence,
and has earned a reputation second to none through the
courage, resolution, and achievements of the officers, non-
commissioned officers, and men that it is, and has been,
my pride and privilege to command.

I take this opportunity of again thanking you all for your
unfailing loyalty, and of expressing my admiration for your
gallantry and devotion to duty.

That Order sketches, in a few words, the long story that lies
between the early days of the Brigade in England and its last
fight on the edge of Mormal Forest, just before the Armistice.
The story as it is told in these pages is necessarily the work of
many memories, and all ranks have contributed their recollec-
tions and stories. Perhaps at times the fun of the long campaign
rather than its tragedy may seem to predominate. There are
many reasons for that. There are scenes and experiences that
men will try to forget — certainly they will never sit down in cold
blood to recall them — and perhaps one may best describe this
story by slightly altering some lines of Kipling :—

" We have written the tale of our life.
For a sheltered people's mirth,
In jesting guise ; but ye are wise.
And ye know what the jest is worth."

The 54th Brigade was formed in September, 19 14, under the
command of Brigadier-General H. Browse-Scaife, and has ever
been a part of the 18th Division. No finer Division ever left
England, for it had a long and careful training under its first

Commander, Lieut. -General Sir Ivor Maxse, C.B., C.V.O.,
D.S.O., one of the most famous trainers of men in the Army.

The early period of training was spent at Colchester, first at
Reed Hall Camp, and afterwards at Middle wick, out by the
Rifle Range. The Brigade at first consisted of the following
Service Battalions : —

loth Royal Fu^liers.
nth Royal Fusiliers.
8th Royal Sussex Regiment.
1 2th Middlesex Regiment.

After a few days the loth Battalion Royal Fusiliers was
replaced by the 6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment, and
in February, 1915, the 8th Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment
was made a Pioneer Battalion, and became Divisional troops,
being replaced in the Brigade by the 7th Battalion Bedfordshire
Regiment. As it completed its training and proceeded overseas,
the Brigade thus consisted of : —

nth Battalion The Royal Fusiliers.

"th Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment.

6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment.
1 2th Battalion Middlese.x Regiment.

The following units have also formed a part of the. Brigade
throughout its history, and their officers and other ranks have
ever been a part of the same cheery, " full o' heart " comrade-
ship r —

8oth Field Company, Royal Engineers.
54th Field Ambulance, R.A.M.C.
152nd Company, Royal Army Service Corps.

The only other alterations to be recorded — and they will be
dealt with at the proper time — are the merging of the 7th (S.)
Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment in the 2nd (Regular) Battalion
when the latter joined the Brigade in May, 191 8 ; and the dis-
banding of the I2th Battalion Middlesex Regiment early in 1918,
when Brigades in France were reorganized on a three-battalion
basis, and the junior battalions, after much good and gallant
work, had to go. If such battalions did not live to see that day
when the old front line swept forward, and our troops re-entered
Mons at the dramatic end of the Hundred Days' Victory, at
least they will go down in history as having done their bit
through the long, hard days of preparation to win those last
battles.

Only with great difficulty was order evolved from chaos. The
1 2 th Middlesex Regiment started with a draft of 500, which
arrived at Colchester at 11 p.m. on September 4th. Telegrams
had been received from the War Office, warning the Brigade of the
probable arrival of 500, and ordering them to put up a camp
and issue blankets. But the loth Royal Fusiliers also received

B 2

a telegram warning them of the arrival of 500 on the same day,
and ordering them to find food and cooking utensils. So when
the 500 arrived in the pitchy darkness, one can imagine the
confusion between two groups of officers, both claiming the men.
The matter could not be amicably settled until the next day,
when further telegrams were exchanged with the War Office,
and a ruling was obtained that the men were to be Middle-
sex. Further complications had meanwhile arisen, as it was
discovered that the conducting N.C.O. had disappeared during
the night with the only nominal rolls.

The history of the Brigade's early training is a history common
to all New Army formatioris — much keenness and earnestness
and fun, but also much ignorance, which was cheerfully recog-
nized and tackled in the best of spirits. There were days when
musketry seemed a hidden mystery, and to " form squad "
on the move was to melt into a riot of distracted men. The
officers were in many cases in worse plight than the men. Some
already had experience in Yeomanry, Territorials, Public School
and University Corps, but many had to pick up drill and mus-
ketry from the beginning, as the men had, and, in addition, had
to puzzle out the mysteries of map-reading, compass work,
and minor tactics. Very often, and especially on night opera-
tions, the best-laid plans went west, and an unhappy platoon
commander would lose himself and his platoon, or march dog-
gedly in a circle till the luck of the British Army or a rural
policeman set him on the right road again.

Even the most ingenious plans for meeting all difficulties had
a knack of developing on lines that the wildest dreams of fun
never anticipated.

There was, for instance, the bright idea of a certain Adjutant
— an idea which has never been tried in actual warfare to this
day, so conservative are we. The battalion had to make a night
advance on a certain position in line of platoons in four.s — an
operation in which it is notoriously difficult to keep direction.
Accordingly this officer stretched a rope from the centre of his
battalion to the centre of the objective, and, to make doubly
sure, stationed a man with a bicycle lamp at the enemy end of
the rope. Every student of war will see at once that this was
quite a new idea in minor tactics, and all would have gone well
had not the Colonel, and everybody else whose good opinion
was worth having, fallen over the rope in the darkness. Other-
wise all went well ; the platoons walked cheerfully up the rope,
and if there had been a real enemy, and they had been sporting
enough to ignore 'the man with the cycle lamp sitting in the
middle of their line, the thing must have been a huge success.
But — except so far as this can be regarded as a serious military
textbook — the idea has never been taken up warmly in training
manuals.

Two more night manoeuvres come to mind. In one, the
battalion concerned had to do an approach march along a white
tape. Unfortunately, a man of the " point," laying out the
tape, unwittingly got hi.s foot caught in a loop, and then the
most weird marching and counter-marching began. In and out.
round and round they went, until eventually the foot came
out of the loop, whereupon the battalion deployed and did a
beautiful attack — but due S. instead of N.E. as had been in-
tended.

In the other manoeuvre the 54th Brigade unluckily selected
the same ground for a night attack as two battalions of another
Brigade. The inevitable happened, and the fight when the
opposing forces met was worthy of a melee of mediaeval warfare.

In those days, so far as one remembers, the Brigade had
only three " regulars " as regimental officers — Captain
L. A. Newnham, Middlesex Regiment (our first Staff Captain,
and at the time of writing Major on the General Staff of the
XIII. Corps) ; Major M. Scarbrough, also of the Middlesex
Regiment, killed at Thiepval ; and Captain P. Meautys, of
the Bedfordshire Regiment, killed in June, 191 7, in front of
Arras, when Brigade-Major of the 53rd Brigade. Of N.C.Os.
who had been " regulars " there was but a handful. If
premature grey hairs were their only immediate reward, as
they toiled to set our feet in the right paths, and to impart
some instinct for discipline, one can but hope that they were
not ashamed of their pupils when the Service Battalions got
to work in France.

The selection of N.C.Os. was one of the earliest difficulties.
" Take the case of the 12th Middlesex " (writes Major Newnham,
in sending some interesting notes on those days). "Scarbrough
and myself were the only two regular officers — in fact, the only
officers for ten days — and there were 1,100 men to tackle, with
only three N.C.Os. who had been regulars.

" I went right through the battalion, asking each man what
he had been. If I found a boy who had been in the Gordon
Boys' Home, then I automatically found an N.C.O., for he at
any rate knew how to number off a squad and form fours. One
man I remember I made a Corporal at once for two reasons
only — (i) That he could keep himself clean, and (2) that he
had been a hawker of fish near Billingsgate, and consequently
had an excellent voice, and was likely soon to get a good word
of command ! And he did, and was an excellent N.C.O.

" I wanted a physical training N.C.O. — nothing easier. A
look round revealed the fact that ' The Lunatic Bakers ' from
the ' Halls ' were in one company, and, after two days' instruc-
tion, a fully fledged P.T. N.C.O. was mine."

The fact that, though we were all comrades in a good cause,
one does not hail a General by his nickname; and try to make

him feel at home, took a little grasping. One wonders, for
instance, whether any one has ever dared to remind Sir Ivor
Maxse of a certain day when he was holding a " pow-wow "
during some field operations. He was surrounded by his Staff
and ail the Brigade and Battalion Commanders, when a hot
and dirty private, towing a very bored-looking mule after him,
pushed through the group, selected Sir Ivor himself out of the
crowd, and demanded, " Where's the Bedford's transport ?"

The General has some reputation for rising to the occasion,
as an orator, when the situation demands, and one fears that,
if the transport driver and his mule had faithfully followed the
instructions given them, they would not have reached their
own transport lines to this day.

The same famous General seems to have had bad luck when
it came to mules. At that time every Commanding Officer
had two horses, and one day each battalion received orders
that the C.O.'s second charger was to be sent to Brigade Head-
quarters at an hour stated. A certain transport officer — with
that delightful gift for doing the wrong thing if it would make
a good story which cheered the Kitchener battalions on their
way — jumped to the conclusion that it only meant that one
horse was to be withdrawn and sent to another unit. He saw
in this a Heaven-sent chance to get rid of hi§ worst mule — a
tripod rather than a quadruped, for only three of its legs really
worked — and personally dragged the unloved and unlovely
animal to Headquarters at the appointed time. There he
learned, to his horror, that each battalion was to parade an
animal for Sir Ivor Maxse to select a second charger for himself.
Before the mule could be dragged away, or shot and thrown
down the nearest drain, the General appeared, and was con-
fronted by the proposal that he should consider the claims of
the three-legged beast to become his spare mount. I have
never quite got out of the hero of the story what the General
really did say — he has tried, but confesses himself unable to
do justice to the purple patches.

There is an old cobbler in a village near Colchester who had
the surprise of his life while some of the R.A.S.C. train attached
to the Brigade was billeted in the neighbourhood. A very
new and very keen young officer had just arrived, and decided
to have a look at the regimental saddler's shop. The gods of
mischance — who, as I have already said, did so much to cheer
us in those early days — sent him in error to the tiny shop where
the village cobbler sat at work.

The officer bounced in, said, " All right, my man, don't trouble
to get up " — the cobbler had certainly shown no signs of doing
so — and added, " Seems rather stuffy and untidy here ; still,
I suppose it's all right — carry on !" and bounced out again.
It was not tactful to mention village cobblers to him after that,
if you wanted a pass or a drink.

Most people will mention Middlewick Camp as a very draughty
spot. On November nth a real East Coast gale blew over the
countryside. Tents were blown down right and left, canteen
tents especially catching it badly, and the whole camp was
flooded out. The Brigade Headquarters marquees were wrecked,
and all the precious papers were blown all over the camp,
thereby considerably easing the " returns " problem. The bill
for damaged tentage came to about ;^ 1,500, and the next day
orders were received to go into billets in Colchester.

The first casualty in the Brigade was a man in the nth Royal
Fusiliers, who was badly wounded on January i8th, 1915,
whilst walking over the entrenching area behind the butts of
the rifle range at Donyland. A stray went over and hit him
so badly that he died the following day.

On February 21st, 1915, the Brigade first experienced the
Bosche and his " hate," a German aeroplane coming over and
dropping bombs on Colchester.

There came at last a day in this Colchester period when
uniforms and equipment were complete. The wonderful scarlet
and blue uniforms, with headgear which varied from glen-
garries and golf caps to bowler hats, gave place to khaki. And
— one was always learning new things of military importance —
one learned that uniform might really fit without spoiling a
man's efficiency. Hitherto, for some obscure reason which
has baffled the scientist, a tall man always got a dwarf's outfit
of the workhouse garb in which we began our military careers.
But now all had real khaki, and real equipment, and real rifles.
It was a proud moment ; officers and men alike now felt that
Heaven was possible but unnecessary.

Then began more strenuous days. Equipment had to be
fitted and packs packed — do you remember the feehng, when
you had all the Christmas tree on, including full pack, and thought
you could hardly walk across the room ? And when all was
ready, the Brigade set out on " field work " in real earnest.
There was the Ipswich-Woodbridge-Hollesley Bay trek, for
instance, in full marching order, covering always twenty-five and
sometimes thirty miles a day, with tactical schemes thrown in — •
advanced guards, outpost, attacks — in which you did " short
rushes," with periods of repose flat on your face in ploughed
fields in between, and all the rest of the fun. It was hard
work, but they were jolly days, trudging along the roads, with
home-made marching songs to swing the tired legs and take
the mind off the blistered heel or the heavy pack.

There was one song of that period — how many good fellows
who sang it will rest for ever behind the old line in France ! —
which will be remembered by all who tramped those roads by
the East Coast. Set down now on paper, in cold blood, it

doesn't look very inspired or inspiring, but those who survive
will remernber how we roared out the " Hollesley Bay Song " :

" There's a place down in Suffolk called Hollesley Bay,
We 'ad orders to go there and walk all the way.
Twenty odd miles we marched every day,
And that's how we got down to Hollesley Bay.

Refrain :
" Hold yer row ! Hold yer row !

We ain't said a word about half what's occurred.

Hold yer row ! What d'yer say ?

We knew every milestone to Hollesley Bay.

" Now, while we were stationed at Hollesley Bay,
1 he sick they paraded in scores every day.
And the doctor when he saw them cried in dismay,
' 'Ow on earth did yer manage to walk all this way ?

" While we were stationed at Hollesley Bay,
We went to a church about ten miles away,
And the people who saw us they all ran away,
For they'd heard what we'd said about Hollesley Bay.

Refrain :
" Hold yer row ! Hold yer row '
We ain't said a word about half what's occurred.
Hold yer row ! What d'yer say ?
We learned some new swear words at Hollesley Bay.

On March 19th the Brigade had its first ceremonial inspec-
tion, by Sir Archibald Murray, then Sub-Chief of the Imperial
General Stalf. A snowstorm swept over the ground while the
battalions awaited his arrival, and there was a bitter cold wind,
but the men were quite steady on parade, and all went off
well.

Early in May, 19 15, the Brigade moved by road to Hertford,
a three days' trek, and there entrained for Codford, on Salis-
bury Plain, where the rest of the days of preparation in England
were spent. There " intensive field days " set in with more
severity than ever, and the days of hard marching and great
expenditure of blank, both ammunition and language, aroutid
Stony Hill and other training areas were things to remember.

Sport was not neglected, and the 54th has ever been a good
sporting Brigade. Many will remember that great cross-
country run on the Plain on May 29th, 1915, when Lieut. -
Colonel (then Captain) A. E. Percival, of the Bedfordshire
Regiment, was the first officer home, and Sergeant Rickard,
of the same battalion, the first of the other ranks. Sergeant
Rickard, unfortunately, was killed in the Brigade's first big
show, the capture of Pommiers' Redoubt, at the opening of
the Somme offensive of July ist, 1916. There were 500 starters
per battalion. The Bedfordshire Regiment won first place as
a team (each team was a trifle of 500 strong), and the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment was second. The first 300 home of each

battalion counted for points, one for the first man, two for the
second, three for the third, and so on, and 2,000 points for every
man who did not finish within twenty minutes of the winner,
the team with the fewest points winning. Major Newnham,
who organized the race, sat up till the early hours of the next
morning getting out the results. The final calculations ran
into millions. Try it for yourself.

At this time bombing was a new, or rather a revived, art in
the British Army, and there were some hair-raising moments
when the Brigade settled down to master the art and to con-
duct their own experiments. The idea was to fill a jam-tin
with old nails and bits of horse-shoe (the latter, possibly, in
the pathetic and ill-founded belief that it would bring luck),
and to learn by rule-of-thumb how best to explode it with as
little inconvenience to yourself and as much annoyance to your
hostile " opposite nimiber " as possible.

There were moments when the luck-bringing properties of
the bits of old horse-shoe did not " function " properly, and
the bombing officer, with his enthusiastic N.C.Os., were men
to be avoided. They would mix and experiment till it seemed
as though the explosives had been trained to feed out of their
hands, and then suddenly some long-suffering chunk of gun-
cotton would protest with much flame and noise. One day
Lieutenant Smith, Brigade Bombing Officer, was mixing some
chemicals together, with the rapt enthusiasm of a mediaeval
alchemist scrounging for the philosopher's stone, when the
whole thing went up. Just why the spectators — Corporal
Twiggs (now Sergeant, and wearing the D.C.M. for a bombing
affair in the trenches), who was sitting on a box of gun-cotton,
and Corporal Turner, who was kneeling on a case of detonators —
did not go up too is a part of the history of the everlasting luck
of bombing enthusiasts.

No empty jam-tin was safe from the conspirators. It might
be your most prized possession, but if you left it out of your
sight for a few moments, you would return to find it filled with
explosives and rusty nails, complete with fuse. The home-made
" hair-brush " bomb was a special joy. On a " hair-brush "
of wood was lashed a slab of gun-cotton, with primer and
detonator in the centre. Demonstrations were given in the
evening, and these became quite smart affairs, to which officers
brought their wives, knowing that there would always be plenty
of fun and excitement.

So the cheery days went by — darkened only by the fear
(how fantastic it seems now !) that the war would be over before
the Brigade could get out — till at last the eagerly awaited
orders came ; and on July 26th, 1915, the Brigade landed in
France, to begin a fighting career that was to last well over
three years.

Even the mules came over, though they developed con-
scientious objections at embarkation, and caused harassed
transport officers to apply vainly on the quayside for transfers
to the Flying Corps, or any other branch of the service where
mules are unknown. Captain Browning, of the Bedfordshire
Regiment, was then transport officer to his battalion, and
through the sunny hours of a July afternoon his mules per-
sisted in sitting down in the gangway. Hot and tired men,
in a hurry to get to the war, reminded those mules of their
blotted pedigree and tried to shame them into embarkation,
but the mules only sat and smiled. At last, after three hours'
exertion, the last mule had been pushed and heaved on board,
and all was ready for the opening of the great adventure.

A niche in the Temple of Fame must be found for the cele-
brated billeting party that came over to France with the Brigade.
It consisted of an officer from each battalion, and the Staff
Captain, and all were mounted on motor-bikes. How the
bikes were smuggled, across is another story, and quite unfit
for the pure ears of any high authority who may some day
find this book in a dentist's waiting-room. As a hint for the
next war, let it be said that one bike was " stripped " and con-
cealed in the battalion transport, a wheel in one limber, the
engine in another, and so on. Captain Newnham's posed as
a signal's machine. But the party landed safe with motor-
bikes, and got on with the good work,.

Chapter II

FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE TRENCHES

■tlTHEN the Brigade arrived in France, in the summer of 1915,
"' things were by no means comfortable or rosy. People in
England, who saw the New Armies training on every country-
side, and pouring overseas, might talk gaily of peace by Christ-
mas ; and the old men, or the men in comfortable jobs, might
cry stoutly, " Go on, boys, give 'em hell !" But the boys who
knew most about hell knew what a very one-sided hell it was
while we were waiting for guns and ammunition.

The situation at that time was well summed up by " Ian
Hay " in a lecture to American troops some years later. Speak-
ing of the arrival of the first Brigades of the New Army in
France in mid- '15, he said :

" True, we now had the men, but we had not the munitions.
All we could do for the present was to stick our toes in, play
for time, and harass the enemy, while back at home behind
us the factories were being erected and the machinery laid down,
and men and women — more especially women — were working
night and day, Sundays, weekdays, Christmas and holiday
time included, to turn out the tale of guns and shells for our
purposes, until at last we could say as a nation, ' We are ready ;
full speed ahead.'

" Out on the Western Front we had to wait a long time for
that message. In the summer of 1915 it never came at all.
All during that summer the trenches were held, grimly and
doggedly, by men who, a year previously, had been peaceful
farmers, or mechanics, or miners, or clerks — men with no
military tradition to uphold them. Our supply of gun ammuni-
tion in those days was limited to three or four shells per gun
per day, and the guns themselves were not plentiful. If the
Hun shelled our front-line trenches, as he did at least twice a
day, and the parapet began to fly up in the air, and you got
to the wire and telephoned to the artillery behind for retalia-
tion, too often the answer came back : ' Very sorry, nothing
doing till to-morrow.' The best we could hope for was to
save our scanty supply of ammunition during a few quiet days,
and then indulge in a real good outburst of retaliation — ^say,
on Saturday afternoon. For the rest of the time we sat at the
bottom of our trenches and wished for happier days. It was
not a pleasant experience ; but all the while we were learning
and learning, and finding our feet, and^ acquiring the priceless
art of playing a poor hand."

The first few months of the Brigade in France were devoted
to this learning, and then came long months of holding on
grimly while the Germans treated us to those " hates " which
we had neither the guns nor the shells to return.

Training was carried out at first in the Corbie area, and
late in August came instructional tours in the line, the bat-
tahons being attached to Brigades that had already served
their apprenticeship in the trenches.

The first ^Jay, and more especially the first night, in the
line is a turning-point in a man's life. He finds that, as regards
being really scared and jumpy and downright uncomfortable,
previous experiences do not count. He has come up against
one of the great tests of his manhood. If he can stand up to his
job cheerfully, fight down fear, and carry on with a smile and
a jest, he has passed his entrance examination, and may look
to the next ordeal, " going over the top," with any sense of
pleasurable anticipation he can muster.

There are still many who recall the Brigade's first experience
of the line, before they had learned those arts of making them-
selves nearly comfortable and almost safe which distinguish the
seasoned battalions. One of them will remember to the end
how far he felt from home and hope and help when, just before
midnight, a Scottish officer took him to what appeared the
weakest and loneliest spot in the whole line, and said : " There,
laddie, you'll be on duty from twelve till four. This is the
front fine, the Germans are very close, and a mine's going up
at dawn." Exit Scottish officer, leaving behind him one British
officer complete with " wind up."

Instructional tours bring over, the Brigade took over a
sector of the line early in September, 1915, opposite Fricourt.
The Brigade front was divided into two sectors — D.i on the
right, and D.2 on the left. At first D.i was held by the Fusi-
hers and the Northamptonshire Regiment, and D.2 by the
Bedfordshire and Middlesex Regiments. This arrangement
held good till the end of November, when battalions changed
over, the Bedfordshire and Middlesex Regiments going to D.i,
and the Fusiliers and Northamptonshire Regiment to D.2.

Great places for " wind up," those front line trenches in the
early days of the new battalions, when all was strange, and
every shadow was a German attack. Imagine the discomfort
of the Bedfordshire Regiment company commander to whom a
]mtrol reported the discovery in No Man's Land of a trap-door
leading to an underground tunnel, from which sounds of mining
could be heard. It was the battalion's first tour in the trenches ;
appreciation of Hun ingenuity ran high, and there were visions
of a surprise attack from the mystery shaft. After some con-
sultation the bombing officer and his corporal were sent for,
and, without any undue display of delight at the job, went

t3

out to investigate. After throwing several bombs at the " trap-
door," they withdrew for assistance. Finally, the spot was
reached, and the origin of the scare was found to be nothing
more alarming than tlie top of an old tin can ! And, believe
me, there were times when a certain patrol got almost tired of
hearing about mysterious trap-doors in No Man's Land.

It was in the same part of the line, and at about the same
period, that a certain intelligence officer, who possessed that
vivid imagination which is supposed to make for success in
modern war, reported one day, " Smoke seen issuing from

enemy trench at ." The next day he reported, " Sound

of oil-engine in enemy trench at — ■ — ■," adding : " It is thought
this may be connected with the smoke seen yesterday, and in-
dicates enemy mining." This was sheer genius, almost too
delicate and rare for the rough-and-tumble of trench warfare,
and when the intelligence officer had sufficiently impressed the
idea that tlie Germans were motoring underground to out-
flank us from below, a raid was organized to cut out the supposed
engine. It is just here that the story breaks away from the
Jules Verne or H. G. Wells touch and ends on the dull fact
that the raiders found no trace of any engine, and the intelli-
gence officer ceased to attach any importance to the smoke of
German trench cookery.

Two other instances of funny remarks in intelligence sum-
manes come to mind. In one, " Smoke as from a cooking
fire " was reported. The reasoning by which smoke from a
cooking fire could be distinguished from smoke from any other
fire was not included in the report. The other instance was
the quite famous report (from the Bedfordshire Regiment, I
think) that a pigeon had been seen " flying in a suspicious
manner " over Fricourt !

There was full reason to watch and listen carefully for any
signs of underground activity, for mining was a constant feature
of this part of the line, especially in the D.i sector.

The rocking of the ground, the caving-in of one's firmest and
best revetted trenches, the confusion in the darkness and shell-
ing, the hasty digging and building up with sandbags, peering
into the depths of the new crater and seeing the blue flickering
of gas-fumes at the bottom, all help to make that form of war-
fare very easy to remember.

Never a week passed without a mine going up, and one week
the measures to drive away boredom and dull care included the
blowing of five mines, so that at last No Man's Land was nothing
but a huge crater. They were exciting and ticklish days, for
one never knew when the trench underfoot would go up, as it
was known that while the French held this part of the line the
Germans had been mining and tunnelling in all directions.

I!

The following extracts from a diary show how frequent these
mine episodes were : —

October 3, 1915. — Enemy blew up a trench mine opposite 82 (Bois Fran-
<;ais). Some of our parapet damaged, and seven casualties by subsequent
rifle and shell fire. Otherwise quiet day.

October 5. — Enemy blew mine opposite trench 77. About 40 yards of para-
pet knocked down. Two officers and eight men gassed above ground ; five
miners killed below ground.

October 7. — We blew a mine in D.i which turned out a much bigger explo-
sion than had been expected. It is thought that a German mine must have
been exploded by ours, as a red flame went up, usually noticed in (German
mines.

October 8, 5.30 p.m. — Enemy blew up a mine opposite trench 79. Buried
two of our mining officers and destroyed 50 yards of a new shaft. 7 p.m. — We
blew a large mine opposite 81. Very little damage to our parapet.

October 13. — Enemy fired mine in D. i. No damage and no casualties,

October 14. — Enemy blew a mine in C.2. (Sector on our right.)

October 20. — Enemy blew a mine in D.i. No damage.

October 23. — Enemy blew a mine in D.

October 24. — Enemy blew another mine in D.i (opposite 80. B).

October 25. — Enemy blew mine in D.i. Little damage, but one killed and
three wounded when making sap out to crater-edge.

Those brief matter-of-fact jottings give some idea of a " quiet
month in the sector.

November ist was another cheery day. In the middle of
the morning the enemy blew a mine in D.i, and brought df)wn
a good stretch of our parapet. Our turn came just after dusk,
when, says the diarist : —

" We blew three mines (large ones) in D.i. They formed
two large craters. Considerable damage was done to our own
parapet, but still more must have been done to the enemy's."
[Can't you see the cheery philosopher sitting among the ruins
of his own trench, laughing to think that the Germans were
probably having an even worse time!] "Northamptonshire
llegiment immediately reconnoitred the new craters, which
were about twenty yards from our front hne, and then occupied
the near edges and dug themselves in very successfully. Casual-
ties, one officer and one man killed, four men wounded. The
night was dark and wet, and the trenches extremely muddy,
besides being blocked by fallen parapets, so that this opera-
tion was not an easy one, and reflected great credit on tlie
battalion."

While on the subject of mines, another little experience; at
a later date, is worth telling here. A mine was to go up under
the German front Hne at about 4.30 p.m. on January i8th,
1916, and Lieutenant Sherwell and 2nd-Lieutenant Driver, of
the Bedfordshire Regiment, who were then in the line, were
detailed to inspect and report on the damage done.

They were each accompanied by a party of bombers, and were
instructed to proceed to the mine crater as soon as it was formed,
one party working round the right and one round the left.
It was quite dark, but the crater was located, and eventually
the two parties met on the farther side of the lip, and a council

15

of war was held. In view of the fact that the crater had been
formed in No Man's Land, some twenty yards from the Bosche
wire, it was decided to push on to the Bosche trench and see if
the explosion had done any damage. Thereupon two very
windy officers, followed in single file by the bombing parties,
with great difficulty scrambled through the wire, only to find
the enemy trench undamaged and deserted immediately opposite
the crater.

Orders were then given (and smartly obeyed) for the return
trip. All got back safely across the wire except 2nd-Lieutenant
Driver, who was unable to extricate himself from the entangle-
ments which held him in a very uncomfortable position, and
with no one to help. To add to the unpleasantness, the Germans
began to return to their deserted bit of trench, and started
putting up light. He was at once spotted, and the Bosche
lost no time in taking pot-shots at him. He had lost his revolver
and used up all his bombs, and thoroughly disliked his position,
but managed to get away unscathed by slipping out of his
bomb-jacket and leaving it and portions of his clothing attached
to the wire. He was later on wounded in the arm by a bullet,
which also killed an officer (2nd-Lieutenant Whatmore) next
to him.

Though the mine had not gone off in the right place, the
Bedfordshire Regiment consoUdated that night the left- and
right-hand lips of the crater, and thus the night's effort was
not altogether without success, for we could now see by day
and night into the Bosche lines.

On October 5th a platoon of the 7th Oxfordshire and Buck-
inghamshire Light Infantry had a bad time while attached to
the Bedfordshire Regiment for instruction. They arrived while
the enemy were having a " hate " with heavy trench mortars
at £ome houses in the rear of the trenches near Fricourt. The
cellar into which they were put was struck, and most of them
were buried. Men of " C " and " D " companies, Bedfordshire
Regiment, promptly began to dig them out, but were them-
selves buried by a second hit on the same house. The casualties
were eight killed and twenty-six wounded, of whom seven were
Bedfordshires.

Dr. Cecil Powell, then Medical Officer of the Bedfordshire
Regiment, went to the rescue, and was about to begin digging
out the survivors when a man buried up to the neck in bricks
and mortar looked at him and gasped : " Gawd Almighty ! it's
Dr. Powell, the man I most want to see." The man was one
of his former patients, and lived near his surgery in England.
Neither of them had known that the other was in France.

The " nervy " conditions of trench warfare, especially for a
new battalion, when every man had a bullet or bomb for every
unexpected shadow, led to some unpleasantly narrow escapes
from one's own comrades. Colonel Percival, of the Bedford-

i6

shire Regiment, had an experience of this in October, 191 5,
when, as a company commander, he was going round his trenches
at night. He turned into a sap to visit a Hstening-post ; but
the post had been moved, and through some bkinder he had
not been informed. So he sat down and Hstened, but his
meditations were rudely interrupted by Lieutenant Kingdon,
who, knowing nothing of his presence, wliispered hoarsely :
" Private Williams and Private Jones will make a bomfjing
attack down the sap, while Private Pink and Private Bundy
will cover the exit of the trench with Lewis gun lire." It was
at this point that a rather perturbed captain cancelled the whole
show.

Tell that story in any gathering of officers of the Brigade,
and one at least will cap it with a somewhat similar story of
the same sector. Between two companies was a very bad
piece of trench. One night the left sentry of the right company
reported to the officer on duty that he had fired at a figure
which had disappeared, into the aforementioned trench. The
officer at once seized some bombs and went off in search of the
figure, which sprang up and made off in the opposite direction,
hotly pursued with bombs. The next morning an officer who
had only arrived in the line the previous day came across to
see the company commander, and explained that he had tried
to keep in touch the previous night, but had met with consider-
able opposition !

As already hinted, shortage of guns and shells put us on
rather uneven terms with the Germans at this time. They
would have a big " hate " with hundreds of shells, and all we
could do was to nurse our annoyance till our next lot of shells
came up, and then let him have two, if not three !

During a lull in a big strafe, when Jerry had been knocking
our trenches to blazes with all sorts of stuff, one of our officers
shouted across, " If you don't stop that, we'll throw over at
least two bombs ! ' ' — and for some unknown reason the Germans
soon afterwards stopped. Perhaps the game was getting too
one-sided even for them.

Once while the Northamptonshire Regiment was in the line,
a German trench mortar had been giving them a deal of trouble
and causing a lot of casualties. Captain Beacham, then adju-
tant of the battalion, took a runner with him one afternoon
and went up to the front-line posts to try and locate this trench
mortar, and have it knocked out by artillery. He succeeded
in locating the place, and sent the runner back to the telephone
dug-out with a message to the gunners to fire one round, giving
the map reference as near as possible. Soon afterwards the
shell came over. " Go back and tell the gunners to fire another
round a hundred yards right," said Captain Beacham ; and
back the runner went to the telephone dug-out. After the
second shell was fired, the adjutant again sent back a message

17

to the artillery to lengthen their range fifty yards. Over came
the third shell, but it was not quite on the spot. " Tell them to
fire another round twenty yards right, and we've got it," said
the adjutant. Back went the runner with the message. Then
came the reply over the wire : " Is this really necessary, as we
have only two more rounds to last until Friday ?" This answer
was duly delivered to the adjutant. " For God's sake tell
them to keep them !" he replied ; " we might have a S.O.S.
to-night !"

It is only fair to say that, in spite of their handicaps, the
gunners did some fine work with their few precious shells. On
September 13th, 1915, we had a good little show with the
artillery covering our front. A certain snipers' post and big
hump of clay in the " Bois Allemand " were very worrying to
us. One night an i8-pounder was brought up to within 300
yards of the front line and emplaced. The next evening at
dusk the thin emplacement in front was suddenly broken down,
and the gunners fired forty rounds of high explosive, point-
blank range, as fast as they could. The snipers' post went up
in clouds and worried us no more. The gun was hauled back
quickly into a quarry before the Bosche could gather what was
happening, and later that night was horse-drawn away, with
no casualties.

So a second winter came down on the trenches, bringing new
discomforts and dangers and new tasks to the men who held
the line. What it meant was well summed up in Sir Douglas
Haig's despatch, dated May 19th, 19 16, in which, describing
those months, he wrote :

" The maintenance and repair of our defences alone, especially
in winter, entails constant heavy work. Bad weather and the
enemy combined to flood and destroy trenches, dug-outs, and
communications. All such damages must be repaired promptly,
under fire, and almost entirely by night.

" Artillery and snipers are practically never silent, patrols
are out in front of the lines every night, and heavy bombardments
by the artillery of one or both sides take place daily in various
parts of the line. Below ground there is continual mining and
countermining, which, by the ever-present threat of sudden
explosion and the uncertainty as to when and where it will take
place, causes perhaps a more constant strain than any other
form of warfare."

And here is another vivid little picture, from the pen of my
friend Phillip Gibbs : —

"The New Armies were learning. They were bearing the
hardships, the cruelties, the brutalities of war, and had to suffer
and ' stick ' it. They were learning the craft of modern warfare
in trenches, mine-shafts, and saps, behind field-guns and
' heavies,' and they had to pay for their lessons in blood and
agony. . . . Dead bodies were heaped there, buried and un-

buried. They dug into corruption when they tried to dig a
trench. Men sat on dead bodies when they peered through their
periscopes. They ate and slept with the stench of death in
their nostrils. Below them were the enemy mine-shafts.
Beyond them were our own mine-shafts. It was a competition
in blowing up the tumbled earth, and men fought like devils
with bombs and bayonets over mine-craters which had buried
another score or so of men."

It was in such conditions as these that the 54th Brigade
carried on through their first winter, and if the story I tell
dwells on the humour — the rather forced humour, perhaps —
of this period, it is because the men who endured those days
seem to remember rather the funny side of that grim tragedy.
PhiUip Gibbs, whom I have just quoted, attempts an explana-
tion : —

" They cultivated cheerfulness as the first law of daily life,
and they succeeded wonderfully in spite of the filthy trenches,
the rats and vermin, the ice-cold water in which they waded up
to the front Une during the long months of a Flemish winter,
the trench feet which for a time — till rubbing-drill was adopted
— drained the strength of many battalions, and the enemy's
shell fire and mining activities, which took a daily toll of life
and limb. Many of them found a gruesome humour in all this,
laughed at death as a low comedian, guffawed if they dodged
its knock-about tricks by the length of a traverse, and did not
go very sick if it laid out their best pal. ' You know, sir, it
doesn't do to take this war too seriously.' So said a sergeant to
me as we stood in a trench beyond our knees in water. It was
a great saying, and I saw the philosophy which had kept men
sane. Without laughter, somehow, anyhow, by any old jokes,
we should have lost the war long ago. The only way to avoid
deadly depression was to keep smiling. And so, for laughter's
sake and to keep normal in abnormal ways of life, there was
a great unconscious conspiracy of cheerfulness among officers
and men."

The first Christmas in the line passed off quietly. The
Northamptonshire and Middlesex Regiments were in the trenches,
having relieved the Fusiliers and Bedfordshire Regiment on
Christmas Eve. The Middlesex Regiment held their Christmas
festivities on December 22nd, before going into the trenches ;
and the Northamptonshire Regiment on January 2nd, 1916, on
returning from that tour.

The entry in the Brigade diary for December 25th is : —
" Christmas Day. Very quiet. Enemy showed no signs of
wishing to fraternize. If they do, troops have orders to fire at
once. Our men in billets had special Christmas dinners, etc."

But the days that followed were by no means quiet or un-
eventful. Says the diarist on Boxing day : " Our artillery carried
out a fairly extensive bombardment of enemy front-line trenches

19

and houses in south end of Fricourt. We withdrew men from
left half of front trenches during bombardment."

The occasion was the first appearance of some heavier guns
on our part of the line. The staff from all neighbouring forma-
tions gathered to witness a strafe, which resulted, at the end of
an hour, in Fricourt boasting one or two houses less — but only,
as we were to find to our cost, at the expenditure of the whole
of the next week's supply of ammunition.

The Germans retaliated the next evening, hammering trenches
86 and 89 in D.2 Sector (held by Nos. 4 and 5 Platoons of the
Northamptonshire Regiment) until they were almost flattened,'
and also sending over a lot of tear-gas shells. After a while the
fire was lifted from these trenches and put down on support
trenches in rear, and also on trenches on either side. This
" box barrage " isolated a part of the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment's front in the region of the sunken road running from the
station, which we held, into Fricourt itself. A party of about
twenty Germans then came over, bombed out some cellars near
the station, and marched about sixteen of our men back. Three
of our men, including one wounded by a bomb, did not leave the
cellars, and, escaping attention, managed to reach the rest of
their battalion.

The whole affair was a chapter of accidents. The officer
commanding the platoon which suffered was absent, bad weather
in the Channel having delayed his return from leave. The
platoon-sergeant had just gone on leave that day, and a lance-
sergeant left in charge had gone to see his company commander,
and had been gassed on the way back. The day sentry post had
been knocked out, and in the absence of a responsible leader
all the nineteen men took refuge in a cellar without leaving a
sentry at the spot where the Germans entered. The platoons
on the right and left stood to when the bombardment opened,
and as soon as it was known that Germans had come over
bombing parties were sent out. One German who had appar-
ently lost his way was found in our trenches and dealt with.

This was the Brigade's first experience of a trench raid ;
indeed, it was the first on the Divisional front, and the use of
tear-gas shells was also a novelty to us, accounting for a good
deal of confusion. It was noted that the German raiders wore
gas-helmets of what were then called the " snout " pattern.

The old year passed away without further excitement, the
days from December 3rst to January 6th being recorded as
" very quiet." So the first months in the trenches ended,
and the Brigade entered on the eventful year of 1916.

C2

Chapter III

FURTHER EXPERIENCES IN THE TRENCHES

I^NE of the earliest events of 1916 was the opening of the first
. ^-^ course at the Brigade Bombing School (on January 3rd)
under Lieutenant Smith, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, with
Major Newnham as a very active and inventive spirit.

With these two officers as chief conspirators, bombing was one
of the Brigade's leading shows, and all through the autumn of
191 5 experiments had been going on, and a bomb factory set
up at Meaulte. This passion of toying with insecurely harnessed
forces, which marks the bombing enthusiast, makes him shunned
by his fellows and drives him from the haunts of men. When
these outcasts first arrived with the Brigade in France, they
set up the making of jam-tin bombs in a pigsty at Talmas,
from which the pig very gladly withdrew.

Experiments in the line were largely concerned with
catapults and other devices for delivering our latest samples of
bombs in the Bosche lines. The catapult, home-made with
elastic on tall uprights, and released by a trigger, was a treach-
erous affair, for you never knew when it would develop pro-
German mania and lob its bomb gently among the group of
British spectators. Demonstrations were frequently given,
especially when the bombing officer had a new idea to test,
and German snipers were promptly located and reported to
him by pleasure-seekers of the Brigade.

Only one success by the catapult is recorded, and that was at
the expense of a German sniper opposite D.2, who entered into
the fun of the thing, and had a pretty wit which it was a pity
to spoil. When the bomb had been duly slung over, this German
would signal an " inner " or an " outer " with a spade. At
last the catapult evidently scored a bull, for the spade went up
with the other debris of the explosion, and the signals were
made no more.

One of the first D.C.Ms, awarded in the Brigade went to Ser-
geant Twiggs, then bombing sergeant of the Bedfordshire Regi-
ment, as a result of the catapult's vagaries. A ball bomb had
been placed in it, but the trigger failed to act, and the bomb was
due to go off in two or three seconds. There was a pretty general
scamper round the traverse, the general feeling being that the
catapult deserved all it got ; but Sergeant Twiggs picked out the
bomb and threw it over the parapet just in time.

As the catapult had too little discipline and a great deal too
much initiative, experiments were made by Major Newnham

at the Brigade bomb factory at Mcaulte, which resulted in the
production of the rifle grenade much as we know it to-day.
It may be that others were experimenting on the same lines at
the same time, and it is claimed that engineers at G.H.Q. also
evolved the idea ; while a Mills patent dated some months earlier
described a means of firing a hand-grenade from a rifle by means
of a rod-attachment. But no results from these ideas had ar-
rived anywhere near the troops in the line at the time I am
writing of, and the rifle-grenade as used by the Brigade was the
home-made affair invented by Major Newnham.

First experiments were made in October, 19 15, by inserting
bodily a No. i G.S. " Fishtail " hand-grenade in the barrel of
a i^-inch Very pistol, both the light and the grenade being pro-
jected. Further experiments were made, which included screw-
ing a wooden shaft on the base-plug of a Mills bomb, the lever
being held within the muzzle, so that it was not released till
the bomb had been projected. With this device a range of from
80 to 100 yards was obtained.

In November demonstrations were given at Meaulte before
a number of general officers, including General Allenby (then
commanding the Third Army), General Morland (then com-
manding the loth Corps), and our own Divisional Commander,
Sir Ivor Maxse. All were very interested, and Sir Ivor urged
that experiments should be continued, but with a service rifle
instead of a Very pistol.

Accordingly the now familiar rod was fixed to the base-plug
of the Mills grenade, and the Brigade factory began turning out
loo a week. The number may have been small, but no other
rifle grenade of similar properties was then to be had in the
Division, and the troop.« were delighted with this means of
getting on more even terms with the Germans and their stick-
bombs.

The Brigade bomb factory was a great centre of activity,
and there the enthusiasts gathered for their deadly work and
worship. It was run by a sapper in the 80th Field Company,
R.E., lent for the purpose, who fixed up lathes, forges, etc.,
and did excellent work. An old motor-engine, lacking a mag-
neto, was looted from Albert. An old magneto was " borrowed "
from a despatch rider, who duly reported it " lost," and the
bombing staff voted it a jolly good war.

The West-gun afforded some excitement, and both Major
Newnham and Sergeant Twiggs will remember some experiments
when they were trying to improvise some method for using it to
fire No. I " Fish-tails."

The grenade under experiment was a percussion grenade,
whereas the West-gun (an arrangement of springs) was primarily
intended for firing time (ball) grenades. They did not allow
sufficiently for the pressure produced by the jar of the springs,
with the result that the moment Sergeant Twiggs pressed the

firing lever the grenade exploded in the cup, luckily only injuring
him slightly.

Others have reason to remember the West-gun also, for it
gave them many bright moments in the trenches. Admirers
said the gun only wanted expert handling ; its best friends
never claimed that it was fool-proof, and its early trials in
D.2 in September, 1915, nearly spoilt the war for the experi-
menters.

Some practice was attempted at the Bosche trenches at a
point where they were 170 yards away. An officer who was
present has supplied the following record of the results :

ist Slwt.^Bomh fell 20 yards short.

2nd Shot. — Went off backwards, and burst about 50 yards in rear of our
own trench.

3rd Shot. — Bomb hit the parapet and fell on the fire-step, where it was dis-
covered just before it burst.

And the faithful recorder of these experiments adds : " Thank
God, our West -gun was destroyed by fire a week later !"

A new officer just joining a battaHon of the Brigade while
it was out at rest at Morlancourt was startled to see a heap of
turnips with fuzes attached. Had our resources fallen so low,
he asked anxiously, that we were reduced to turnips as bombs ?
The explanation was a great relief to him. It was another
idea of the Brigade Bombing Staff (there was no Brigade Amuse-
ment Officer in those days), who hollowed out a turnip, and put
in a small charge of powder and a fuze. These were used in
practising trench warfare, one team against another in a dummy
trench, and all men hit by a piece of turnip when the charge
went off were counted casualties.

About this time one of the present officers of the Brigade,
then a bombing instructor at that place of many memories,
the old " Bull Ring " at Etaples, had an exciting experience.

The " Bantam " battalions were then coming out, and each
man was given a short bombing course, which included the
throwing of three Mills, before being sent up the line.

The " Bantams " were very keen, but owing to the numerous
accidents that had occurred with improvised bombs, and the
fact that the popular name for bombing instruction was " join-
ing the Suicide Club " a certain amount of nervousness was
shown. For instructional purposes a party of about a hundred
would be under the shelter of a breastwork, whilst the man
who was going to throw was in a trench breastwork at a safe
distance in front with the sergeant-instructor. When the bomb
was thrown, all the party in rear had to duck when the N.C.O.
in charge shouted " Down !" It should be said that the bomb-
ing-ground was on the dunes, where the dry sand makes run-
ning very difficult, as one's feet sink ankle-deep at every step.

The keenness of the " Bantams " showed itself in their desire
to retain the split-ring and pin of the first Mills bomb each man
threw. One man came along, strapped on the old-fashioned

23

bombing-apron, with its small pockets in front, and three Mills
bombs were placed in the pockets. Following the rule then in
force, he was made to take one out, assume the throwing posi-
tion, draw the pin, and await the order to throw. All this he
did ; but on the order being given, the unexpected happened —
he actually threw away the pin, and placed the grenade back
in the pocket of his apron. The pocket was just loose enough
to allow the lever of the bomb to fly back and release the striker,
and then followed a scene which would have been extraordinarily
funny had the result not been so tragic.

The sergeant grabbed at the pocket, but the lever of the
bomb prevented its withdrawal ; he then dragged the man
away from some more boxes of bombs which were alongside,
and, seeing the impossibility of recovering the bomb in time,
got round the other side of the trench breastwork. He was
promptly followed by the human bomb, who apparently did
not realize that he was the cause of all the trouble.

Then ensued a ghastly game of hide-and-seek, the two people
concerned being engaged in dodging round the trench breast-
work for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only
about two seconds, until the sergeant suddenly ran into the
open, ploughing with difficulty through the soft sand, followed
by the poor fellow carrying the bomb in his apron. This mad
chase did not last long, and, being impeded by the apron, its
wearer was outdistanced by the sergeant, fortunately for the
latter. It is a pity that one cannot conclude by stating that
the grenade was a " dud," but unfortunately it was not.

After that, " This practice must cease " was translated by
bombing instructors into much stronger language when check-
ing the tendency of recruits to retain safety-pins as souvenirs.

During the early tours in the trenches a prize was offered
by the Division for the first piece of German wire brought in.
One's own wire being a rather jealously guarded treasure, this was
not an easy job. One officer set out with a patrol of three,
and all got safely to the wire. There one of them had a bad
fit of coughing, which lasted half an hour. Lying out there
crouching flat on the ground, with faces pressed into the mud,
it seemed to have begun in the dawn of the world, and to be
going on for all eternity. At last it ceased, and without stop-
ping to get any wire, the little party returned sadly, and in a
very bad state of nerves, to their own trench.

Another attempt was made by some Bedfordshires from the
D.I sector, an officer creeping out with his platoon sergeant —
the latter an excellent fellow named Lewin, who had been a
policeman. He seemed to have no sense of fear (which wcis
rather unlucky for the officer who accompanied him), for, on
reaching the German wire, he shook it, and said in what he

may have thought was a whisper : " That's good wire !"

He made a dickens of a rattle with the wire, but would not

24

take the first piece, creeping among it till he had selected six
good specimens. They got back safely, and the specimens were
duly sent to Division, but the expected prize did not turn up.
Whether it was forgotten, or whether it had already been won
by another Brigade, is not known to this day.

This Sergeant Lewin had a man in his platoon whom he used
to run in as a poacher in the old " civvy " days. They were
great pals now, and used to go out on patrol work together,
doing good work, to which their experiences of poachers and
poaching no doubt contributed.

Mud was an unpleasant feature of the Brigade's first winter
in the trenches. (It must be very disappointing to the Germans
to know that, if you ask any of the Old Originals about those
early days, they remember the rats and the mud much more
vividly than the Bosche strafes.)

One night in January, 1916, a man stuck in the mud for
five hours in a very bad part of the line, and was fed on rum,
to keep him cheerful and amused, until he could be got out.
It may be only a coincidence that the next night seven men
stuck in the mud in the same place ; but the rum treatment
was discontinued, and further spread of the epidemic stopped.

The D.I sector was on higher ground than D.2, and drained
into it, an interesting fact of which the occupants of D.i took
full advantage. On one occasion the battalion occupying
D.2 built a dam to stop this drainage scheme, and as a result
a large sheet of water formed between the two sectors, cutting
off all communication.

A Northamptonshire officer had a trying experience while
the battalion was in D.2 sector. He went out in No Man's
Land on patrol, and arranged to give on his return an imita-
tion of a bird-call as the password. Having said " Pee-wee !"
several times, till the sentry had the idea correctly, he set off.
Unfortunately, while he was away the posts were changed. On
his return he said " Pee-wee !" in what he fondly believed to
to be life-like fashion. But it was a new sentry, who gave the
imitation a cold reception, remarking : " Yes, if you don't stop

that ' Pee-weeing,' I'll well " etc., etc. A very

indignant. officer, feeling very unloved and far from home, was
kept lying on his face for half an hour out in No Man's Land,
till a sergeant who knew about the " password " turned up
and let him in.

Happily, life was not entirely a question of " sticking it "
in the line, and the spells in billets, when you had been relieved
by the other battalion, made a pleasant change. There was
Morlancourt, for instance, where the Northamptonshire Padre
(Captain Bennett) rigged up the old church as a canteen (he
could always get a crowd when patching the roof), and ran
boxing competitions and concerts, as well as a very popular
Sunday evening service. " Morlancourt will always be a name

25

to revive pleasant memories " (writes a Northamptonshire
officer, while these pages are being prepared), "whether they be
of the little orange girl who stood at that very corner we were
afterwards [in 19 iX) to fight for, or maybe the less romantic,
though certainly not less humorous, recollection of our prac-
tising with turnips for that bombing attack from D.i which
was to have cut out Fricourt, but which, fortunately for those
who were to have taken part, never materialized."

During this period the difficulty of getting change for use in
the canteens led to an interesting experiment in the nth Royal
Fusiliers. Mr. S. C. Turner, a well-known business man in the City,
who made his office the hcadcjuarters of all efforts for the good of
officers and men of the battalion, decided to issue a special paper
currency. This was in the form of books of " tear out " franc notes.
The men were paid partly in these, as they wished, and the notes
were always good for their face value in the canteen. Indeed, they
won such a good reputation among the French people, that local
shops, in some of the places where we were billeted, were willing
to accept them, knowing that they would be duly honoured.

This was only one of countless ways in which Mr. Turner, at
the head of the friends of the battalion at home, cared in prac-
tical fashion for the men of the nth Fusiliers, showing a practical
interest in the welfare of the men and their families.

Of quiet days out of the line, the Middlesex Regiment probably
remembered January 7th as well as any. Lieutenant-General
Sir Ivor Maxse came over to inspect them, and they were drawn
up on parade, feeling very good, and hoping that the Divisional
Commander would think as well of them as they thought of
themselves, when the Germans began to take an interest in the
proceedings. They shelled the parade with such enthusiasm
and accuracy that the show broke up rather hurriedly.

Indeed, the Germans took a great deal too much interest in
our shows when we were out at rest. The following entry in
the Brigade diary for January nth is too good for further
comment : — " Quiet day. Enemy fired about a dozen 59
shells into Meaulte at 3 p.m., possibly intended for a football
match then in progress."

Talking of shows, who remembers the munition workers who
visited us about this time to see what we wanted shells for ?
Some of them were conducted into the front-line trench by the
Brigade Staff, and everything was done to give them a good
show. A stolid north-countryman, invited to look at the
German line through a trench periscope, was startled to have
the top of the mirror shot away while he was peeping. He
returned to England much impressed, and the Brigade Staff
were very interested in his vivid description of this periscope
incident in a local paper. And one of our own fellows, stationed
with a rifle a few bays away, with orders to shoot away the top
of the periscope as soon as it appeared, was quite proud to find

26

himself described in print as a German sniper of uncanny
skill.

Much of January was devoted to putting the sector into good
trim for handing over. Thanks to a spell of fine weather, and
some good work by the Sussex pioneers on the communica-
tion trenches, everything was in splendid condition when we
were relieved by the 20th and 22nd Brigades early in February.
A big wiring scheme was also carried out during the month.
On the night of January loth two companies of the North-
amptonshire Regiment put out 400 yards of new wire along the
centre of D.2. There was some rifle fire, but no casualties.
The method of putting up the wire had been practised for some
days previously in the billetinjj area.

Before leaving this part of the line, one would like to mention
the 174th Tunnelling Company, commanded by Major Stokes.
They ran the whole of our mining very sympathetically and
extraordinarily well. When we took over this sector several
portions of trench could only be patrolled, and never held by
sentries. Within a few months the whole situation had been
changed — all our trenches were perfectly safe, and we were
able to " camoufiet " the Hun when and where we liked. The
Brigade owed a great sense of security entirely to this tunnelling
company and their own mining fatigues.

It should also be recorded here that in his despatch dealing
with the winter of 191 5- 16 Sir Douglas Haig remarks : —

" While many other units have done excellent work during the
period under review, the following have been specially brought
to my notice for good work in carrying out or repelling local
attacks and raids." Then follows a list of battalions, which
includes the 7th Bedfordshire and the 6th Northamptonshire
Regiments.

Having been relieved in the line, the Brigade marched back
to the Lahoussye area, and by February 5th all the battalions
were billeted there — Brigade headquarters, the Bedfordshire
and Northamptonshire Regiments in Lahoussye itself, and the
Fusiliers and Middlesex Regiment in Franvillers. Training was
actively carried on.

On February 12th the 54th Brigade Machine Gun Company
arrived from England (4 officers and 141 other ranks), and was
billeted in Franvillers. The company remained with the Brigade
until the forming of the Machine Gun Corps, when the 54th
Brigade Company was incorporated in the i8th Machine Gun
Battalion, attached to the i8th Division.

On March ist the Brigade moved to the Corbie area, thence
to the Bray area, and a few days later took over our new sector
of the line A.i and A. 2 in front of Carnoy. It was during their
reconnaissance of this sector that Colonel G. R. Ripley and
Captain R. W. Beacham, of the Northamptonshire Regiment,
were wounded, a stray shell getting them as they were walking
across from Bronfay Farm to Billou Wood. Colonel Ripley was

27

in England for three months as a result of this bit of hard luck,
but insisted on returning in June, while still only marked for
Home Service, in order that he might " lead his boys in their
first offensive."

It was in this sector, and at about the same time, that the
Northamptonshire Regiment came across some unusual " trench
stores," in the shape of two cows, who, though not in the
prime of condition, seemed to promise a change from tinned
milk.

It was decided that a change of air would be good for them,
and early one morning the Adjutant's batman, who had been
a milkman before the war, set out to drive them from the line
back to the pastures of Bray. Daylight came, and they were
still in sight and range of the enemy's guns, but for once the
German was a sportsman or a humorist, for he let the strange
procession proceed.

But the experiment was not a success. Perhaps the cows
had a sentimental attachment for their old billet in Carnoy,
although that village received too much attention from German
guns to please most people. At any rate, they seemed to pine,
so one day they were driven back, and took up their quarters
with the company in reserve at Carnoy. There at each relief
they were duly taken over as " trench stores."

The centre of our front boasted five saps, varying from 80 to
200 yards in length, running out to old mine craters in No
Man's Land. These saps were held by posts which, on several
occasions, owing to their isolated positions, were the scene of
lively little encounters with Bosche patrols. It was in one of
these duels, between a German sniper and Captain Burrows
(Northamptonshire Regiment), who was trying to bomb him at
25 yards range, that the latter was killed.

This part of the line was the scene of a determined raid by the
Germans in the early hours of April 13th.

After a heavy bombardment, which practically flattened out
our trenches, four separate raids were made — one in A.i Sub-
sector, and three in A. 2 Sub-sector. In A.i they met with some
success, the Middlesex Regiment being unlucky enough to lose
ten of their number as prisoners.

In A. 2 the Northamptonshire Regiment, profiting by their
experience in the previous raid in December, put up a good
show, and threw the Germans out, keeping four prisoners as
souvenirs and recovering a number of dead. They had thirteen
killed and forty wounded, the killed including six of a special
wiring paity chosen from volunteers for a particularly tricky
bit of work among the craters. These men were cut off by the
German barrage, and tried to return to our lines through the
right company, but were unhappily mistaken for Germans.
The leading spirit in the defence that night was the late Major
(then Captain) Podmore, commanding the centre company. In
spite of bearing practically the whole of the casualties, his men

28

clung on desperately to the battered remnant of their trench,
thanks to his fine example. For that night's work he won the
first D.S.O. awarded in the Division. Later he commanded the
1 2th Middlesex Regiment, and met his death in an unfortunate
accident at a trench-mortar demonstration on December 31st,
191 7.

The Brigade had its revenge for this raid just a fortnight
later, when the Bedfordshire Regiment carried out their first
raid in the early hours of April 27th. This was led by Captain
(then 2nd-Lieutenent) H. Driver, who was awarded the D.S.O.
for the affair. He has been good enough to jot down the follow-
ing account of the proceedings : —

" I had just returned to the battalion after being wounded
for the first time, and I was secretly informed by my company
commander, Captain T. E. Lloj^d, that our company had been
selected to carry out a raid during our next tour of duty in the
line, and that I was to be in charge.

" We managed quite easily to get volunteers for the raid,
and I proceeded to train them at Bray. It n^ust be understood
that these were the early days of raids, and none of us expected
to get back from the Bosche line even if we succeeded in reaching
it. However, we marked out (with the aid of aeroplane photos)
a facsimile of the Bosche trench to be raided, and practised raid-
ing it by day and by night until we thought we all knew our own
particular job. In addition, I was ordered to take a few men up
to our actual fiont each night, and take them out into No
Man's Land to get them accustomed to being there. I disliked
this part of the preparation intensely.

" The fateful day approached, and I was interviewed by the
Brigadier (General Shoubridge), who was a very cheery man
and inspired one with confidence. He told me that at last we
had some wonderful artillery, and the raid was to be supported
by wonderful 9- 2-inch howitzers and 8-inch guns. He added
that he expected us to do our job well, in view of the fact that
the shells to be fired would cost the country a prodigious sum
of money, and the country was looking for something in return.
I came away duly ina pressed.

" The next day the Bedfordshire Regiment took over the line
again, and the raid was to take place the same night at 2.30 a.m.
The raiding party and myself by this time felt we were all to
soon face something we would have gladly handed over to others,
and we tried hard to appreciate the grim jest that if we were
successful we should immediately go on leave.

" During the evening the raiding party foregathered in a dug-
out near the point in our trench from which we proposed to
start. We all blackened our faces and hands so as not to show
up in the dark, and prepared our bombs. The party was kept
very cheery by one of its members, Corporal Lancaster, more
famiharly known as ' Alec' He was quite a wonderful fellow,

29

and has, fortunately, come through the war safely, though he
has several times been severely wounded. As the evening wore
on a special rum issue was produced, and the men were asked
whether they would like it before or after the raid. They were
unanimous in deciding not to take the risk of not having it at
all. As ' Alec ' pointed out, ' There might be no coming back.'

" We settled down about 10.30 p.m. for a four-hour wait,
having completed our preparations. I tried to work up some
sort of appetite for dinner. Suddenly at 11 p.m. (not in ac-
cordance with our plan) a heavy bombardment of our trenches
was opened by the Bosche. The next battalion on our right
sent up the S.O.S. signal, and very soon our artillery replied
vigorously. We were naturally rather alarmed, and began to
wonder if the Bosche had any knowledge of our intended raid.
Anyhow, after about half an hour the strafe died down again,
and the rest of the time passed without further incident —
except that my batman informed me that he had packed up
my kit as he expected me to be wounded !

"At 2.15 precisely thirty-four black- faced ruffians, each
heavily laden, climbed over the top, and lay down in No Man's
Land in accordance with our plan. Suddenly at 2.30 we saw
a vivid flash behind us, followed by a terrible crash. It was
the opening of our barrage. I had to shout in the next man's
ear before he could hear what I said. Our spirits went up enor-
mously, for we thought that nothing could live in that storm of
fire. I kept looking at my luminous watch, knowing that at
2.40 the barrage would lift, and we must then be ready to jump
into the Bosche trench.

" Fortunately, I found the exact point at which we were to
enter it, and, with the aid of Corporal Dunkam, soon cleared a
gap in the enemy's wire. I then signalled to my party with a
flashlight, and was quite bucked to see them loom out of the
darkness and walk up in quick time in proper formation. The
leading man carried a ladder, which was put in position, after
someone had first of all taken the precaution of lobbing a bomb
into the trench. All this time the noise of our shells bursting
a little distance in front of us was simply deafening.

" Everything now went like clockwork. One party descended
the ladder and went to the left. A second party went to the
right, while a third remained on guard at the point of entry.
VVe also knew that by this time a fourth party was out in No
Man's Land laying a white trail (with chloride of lime) to guide
us back over the two or three hundred yards of pitch-black space
we had crossed.

" The few stray Bosches found wandering about the trench
were summarily disposed of, but the chief difficulty lay in dealing
with those who had sought refuge in their deep dug-outs, which
at this part of the line were found about every 10 yards. One had
to descend about a dozen slippery steps in order to get into a

30

dug-out, each being lit up and containing about a dozen or more
Huns, who had thought themselves perfectly secure. There
was no time to haul them out and take them back as prisoners,
and we had brought 368 bombs (15 bags, each containing
20 bombs, and 2 emergency bombs each in our pockets) ; so,
having failed to get the Bosches to come outside the first dug-
out, we decided to use a bag of bombs for each dug-out.

" It was fairly simple to roll these bombs down the stairs,
and deal with the dug-outs systematically in this way. Un-
fortunately, owing to misunderstanding, one of our men was
accidentally wounded, but we managed to get him home safelj'.
All went well up to a point, and the party that went to the left
returned to the point of entry at the appointed time. But there
was no sign of the right-hand party, and it is difficult to realize
our feelings as we waited on top of the Bosche trench for quite
twenty minutes, during which time we fought a battle with some
Bosche reinforcements trying to come along the trench from the
left. All our bombs having been used, we carried on with rifles
and revolvers.

" At last the right-hand party began to arrive, and eventually
they all turned up, although some of them had been wounded,
and in one case a wounded man had to be carried. It was now
nearly dawn, and the Bosche was showing searchlights, but we
soon recrossed No Man's Land, and the whole party got home
safely, with the exception of one man who lost his way, but
who, owing to an error, had been reported as having returned.

" Sergeant Mills got a D.C.M., Corporals Lancaster and Joyce
got Military Medals, and every man got a ' Parchment ' from
General Maxse, Commander of the Division. They all took the
next train for leave. Thus ended our first raid, and I was
thankful to cross over to Blighty in a hospital ship.

" Sir Douglas Haig reported our raid in his daily communique
in the following terms : ' Last night a successful raid was carried
out by men of the Bedfordshire Regiment, who entered the
enemy's trenches near Carnoy, and, after fierce hand-to-hand
fighting, forced them down into their dug-outs and bombed them
there, inflicting heavy casualties. Only a few of our men
were wounded, and the whole party successfully returned to
our lines.' "

Chapter IV

THE SOMME— JULY, 191 6

■117 HEN you were on a fatigue or a working party, it was easy
•" to believe that yours was the only platoon or company doing
any real hard work in the whole of France, and, further, that the
job had been organized rnerely to annoy you. So it was that
few people, even among those on the spot, doing their own little
share of the job, realized how great were the preparations
necessary for such an undertaking as the Somme offensive of
July, 1916. In his despatch on these operations Sir Douglas
Haig gave a vivid picture of the tasks involved : —

" Vast stocks of ammunition and stores of all kinds had
to be accumulated beforehand within a convenient distance
of the front. To deal with these many miles of new railways
— both standard and narrow gauge — and trench tramways
were laid. All available roads were improved, many others
weie made, and long causeways were built over marshy
valleys.

" Many additional dug-outs had to be provided as shelter
for the troops, for use as dressing-stations for the wounded,
and as magazines for storing ammunition, food, water, and
engineering material. Scores of miles of deep communica-
tion trenches had to be dug, as well as trenches for telephone
wires, assembly and assault trenches, and numerous gun
emplacements and observation -posts.

" Important mining operations were undertaken, and
charges were laid at various points behind the enemy's
lines.

" Except in the river valleys, the existing supplies of water
were hopelessly insufficient to meet the requirements of
. the number of men and horses to be concentrated in this
area. To meet this difficulty many wells and borings were
sunk, and Over 100 pumping plants were installed. More
than 120 miles of water-mains were laid.

" Much of the preparatory work had to be done under
very trying conditions, and was liable to constant interrup-
tion from the enemy's fiie. The weather on the whole was
bad, and local accommodation totally insufficient for housing
the troops employed, who consequently had to content
themselves with such rough shelter as could be provided in
the circumstances. All this labour, too, had to be carried
out in addition to fighting and to the everyday work of
maintaining existing defences. It threw a very heavy strain
on the troops, which was borne by them with a cheerfulness
beyond all praise."

31

32

As far as this Brigade was concerned, preparations began
as far back as May 4th, when the battalions were relieved in the
line by the 21st Brigade (30th Division), and were engaged for
nearly two months on work in connection with the long-antici-
pated offensive.

The Fusiliers were in camp at Bois Celestine (just north of
Chipilly), employed chiefly on road mending ; the Bedfordshire
Regiment in billets at Bray, working under the 30th Division ;
the Northamptonshire Regiment in billets at Frechencourt and
Querrieux, building railways ; and the Middlesex Regiment at
Grovetown, Bray, also on railway work.

The following, quoted from a diary kept by a Fusilier officer,
will give a general idea of how the next few weeks were spent
by all the battalions : —

" Huts had to be erected by the score, roads to be made
and others repaired, barges unloaded, ballast procured from
quarries, and many other arduous tasks carried out. The
parties on hut-building soon began to see some result of
their labours, and before many days a snug little town had
sprung up under the shadow of the budding trees.

" The valley of the Somme was indeed superb. In the
early morning you would awaken to the song of birds in
the trees above you ; dragon-flies, at least six different
colours, which drift noiselessly through the air, and beautiful
- butterflies, made every moment of the day really enjoy-
able.

" In Chipilly village there were some baths alongside the
canal, and our men had a hot bath and a change of under-
clothing, and a hundred yards away was an open-air swim-
ming bath, where our men splashed about.

" There were magnificent views of the Sortime and the
lagoons from the woods, and some of the officers got a boat
and rowed from one lagoon to another to Sailly Lorette.
On the way some indulged in a swim, while the others
prepared tea in picnic style. For the men we arranged
cinema shows, concerts, and football matches."

Among the work to be done on the front from which the
great offensive was to be made was the preparation of Russian
saps. These were tunnels under No Man's Land, leading to
within about six yards of the German lines. They were filled
with tons of stores of every kind, and when the attack had been
launched, all that was necessary was to blow out the end, and
a way was made for carrying parties to get rations, water,
ammunition, etc., to the advanced troops.

There were two of these saps on the front on which the
Brigade attacked, and the digging of one of them led to an
exciting moment. Work was going ahead in good style, when,
to the general consternation, they broke through into a German

PJwtn ■ Elliott & Fry]

London, W.

BRIGADIER GENERAL L. de V. SADLEIR-JACKSON, C.B.,

C.M.G., D.S.O.,

Who Commanded tlie Brigade from October, 1917, to March, 1919.

To face page 32.

Photo : Speaighl]

ILondon, \V.

MAJOR-GENERAL T. H. SHOUBRIDGE. C.M.G., D.S.O.,
Who Commanded the 54th Infantry Brigade, December, 1915 to March, 1917.

To face page 33.

33

dug-out. Luckily it was unoccupied at the time ; the hole
was carefully patched, and apparently the Germans never knew
of our visit.

During this period Brigade headquarters were atOissy, where
Brigade Machine Gun, Trench Mortar, Bombing, and Signalling
Schools were instituted. These schools were visited by Sir
Douglas Haig and Staff on May 12th.

June came, and with it more active preparations. On the
Qth the Fusiliers and Northamptonshire Regiment began digging
near Picquigny trenches which were an exact facsimile from
aeroplane photos of the enemy system opposite Carnoy, which
they were to attack three weeks later. By the nth Brigade
headquarters and all battalions had arrived at Picquigny, and
practice attacks over the facsimile trenches were actively
carried out.

By the 23rd preliminary training had been finished, the whole
Brigade was moved to the Bray area, and on the following
day took over the front on which we were to attack.

" On the way up from Bray," says the Fusilier officer from
whose diary I have already quoted, "we were delighted to
see guns of every calibre dug in — it seemed everywhere. In
fact, the whole ground seemed alive with them, and in
every valley behind the line was a very hot-bed of destruc-
tion to spit at the enemy.

" A good deal of our time was now occupied in cutting
steps in and erecting bridges across the assembly trenches.
The steps were to be used by us for quickness when we
left the trenches to attack and the wooden bridges by
reinforcements who would come up across the open."

Before the great day came the Brigade carried out two or
three successful raids for the purpose of information.

One of these took place on the, night of June 25th, when
Private W. Crowe, a Middlesex scout, did some fine work, for
which he was afterwards awarded the Military Medal. Accord-
ing to the official account, " he was in the screen which pre-
ceded the raid. After this screen had been pushed forward
from our trenches, a heavy enemy barrage was put down between
it and the main body, owing to the division on our left letting
off smoke, which alarmed the enemy. Crowe returned through
this barrage in the dark, and guided the main body through it
up to a position in rear of the .scout screen. On the return of
the raid, he also displayed great courage in collecting wounded
men who had lost their way, and bringing them back to our
trenches."

On the night of the 2 7th-28th 2nd-Lieutenant W. R. Howard
took over thirty Fusiliers and raided Austrian trench and
Austrian support. The party proceeded along about 250 yards
of the trench, but was held up by the enemy at Austrian

34

junction. Valuable information was gained as to the damage done
by our bombardment, and the party withdrew safely, suffering
a few casualties, but no men being killed. For this good work
2nd-Lieutenant Howard was awarded the M.C.

On the night of 29th-3oth about lOo Middlesex men, under
2nd-Lieutenants Chase, Restall, Garstin, and Card, went over
and penetrated as far as Emden Trench. A number of Germans
were killed, several dug-outs searched, and much useful informa-
tion gained. The raiders spent two hours in enemy territory.
Unfortunately, 2nd-Lieutenant Chase was badly hit just before
reaching our lines, and died of wounds.

The German reply to our preliminary bombardment caused
a certain amount of trouble. Two brief quotations from diaries
will give some idea of what this meant.
A Fusilier officer writes : —

" One morning, about i a.m., I had a party of sixteen

men working in Hyde Road, when the Huns suddenly

directed their fire on Park Lane. As it was impossible for

the men to continue their work, I withdrew them towards

Piccadilly [these are all names of trenches] ; and as we

moved, so did the shells, for they followed us, and it was

with great difficulty my men got under cover. Being under

cover does not always mean safety, for five of my party

who had taken shelter in a dug-out in Piccadilly Circus

were wounded, the dug-out being blown in. Wherever we

were we seemed to be running into shells, and time after

time we were warned by men, shovel in hand, who were

digging out some unfortunate comrade, to keep our heads

low and get by as quickly as possible, as the spot was a

marked one."

It was near the same spot that the Bedfordshire Regiment had

a very bad bit of luck, having all the officers of one company

killed or wounded only a few days before they were due to go

over in the big show. Captain Doake, one of the survivors,

gives the following account : —

" On June 26th ' C ' company, in support, had a bad
time from enemy bursts of fire. The officers' mess in a
dug-out in Piccadilly got a direct hit, while all the officers
were having supper, about 9 p.m. All became casualties,
as well as some eight servants and other ranks who took
refuge. A 42 howitzer shell struck the entrance and burst
inside. The doorway was filled up, and the smoke and
fumes almost suffocated the survivors. Luckily a passing
man saw my arm, which had been pushed through a hole,
and after a little labour Major (then Captain) Clegg and I
were got out. But Lieutenants Baden and Hasler were
killed, and Lieutenant Johnson died of wounds. The com-
panies suffered severely that day from bursts of fire, which
were very well directed and quite thorough."

35

The rescue of the buried officers was carried out by Private
H. W. Fish. He at once began to dig, and, although the air
was thick with gas and he was nearly choked, he refused to be
relieved till the job was finished. This same man did some
gallant work before Pommiers Kedoubt on July ist, crawling
up and bombing a machine gun that was holding up our advance.
For these actions he was awarded the D.C.M.

A great deal of rain fell during these days and nights of
waiting for the big event, and trenches got muddier and muddier.
But in spite of hard work and discomfort, the men were amazingly
cheerful, and full of heart. The worse the conditions, the better
their spirits seemed to become.

By 2 a.m. on July ist all units were in their battle positions,
as follows : —

The assaulting battalions (nth Royal Fusiliers on the
left and 7th Bedfordshire Regiment on the right) in the
forming-up trenches.

The supports (6th Northamptonshire Regiment) in
bivouac in Carnoy Valley.

The reserve (12th Middlesex Regiment) in dug-outs in
Carnoy.

The 54th Machine Gun Company had two guns with each of
the assaulting battalions, four ready to go forward behind the
Northamptonshire Regiment, two guns in the Russian saps,
and six guns to bring indirect fire to bear on the German lines
from Caftet Wood.

The newly-formed 54th Trench Mortar Battery had eight
guns in position for hurricane bombardment.

There was nothing to be done now but to sit down in the
trenches and wait. This was worse than fighting, leally a very
trying ordeal. Just before dawn most of the companies had
tea sent up to them, and this was very welcome, for everyone
was thoroughly chilled, and a fine rain was falling. When day-
light came our shelling increased in volume, and by 5.30 a.m
was a deafening roar, to which the Germans were replying
hotly. About 7 a.m. everything became wrapped in a thick
mist, but this luckily cleared off just before the start.

The minutes ticked on. Officers were looking at their watches,
and the minutes went by — but so slowly, it seemed, when any-
thing would have been better than this ordeal in the assembly
trenches, which the enemy's shells were knocking to blazes.
At last it was 7.30, and officers blew whistles, but the men at
their elbows could not hear them in that hell and hail of shells.
But all eyes had been on the officers and N.C.Os. for the first
sign of a move, and as the hands of the watches touched the
fateful minute it was " Over the top, and good luck to you !"

The two assaulting battalions got well away, and within ten
minutes Emden Trench was taken. But it hat] been a costly

D 2

36

ten minutes. The two leading companies of the Bedfordshire
Regiment had already lost all their officers, but the N.C.Os.
had the waves well in hand. Machine guns had checked the
advance from Austrian Support, but these were quickly dealt
with, one of them being rushed and captured with great dash
by Lance-Corporal A. Payne, of the Fusiliers. Between Bund
Trench and Pommiers Trench there was a check, owing to
some uncut wire, but a mixed party of twenty Bedfordshires
and twenty Berkshires (the latter in the 53rd Brigade) com-
pleted this task under heavy shell fire in a most methodical
and fearless manner.

The Germans took advantage of the check to make a small
counter-attack from the direction of Mametz on the left flank
of the Fusiliers. 2nd-Lieutenant Parr-Dudley at once got
hold of his platoon, wheeled it half left, and charged, using
bullet, bayonet, and bomb to such good effect that not one of
the enemy escaped. Unfortunately, the gallant officer himself
was killed.

Twenty minutes after the start Pommiers Trench was assaulted
and captured, the Fusiliers taking a machine gun. Here,
according to programme, there was a forty minutes' halt. But
it was a busy time. There was much hand-to-hand fighting,
especially at the junction with Black Alley, and a number of
dug-outs were bombed out. Some good work was also done
along Black Alley by a Fusilier bombing party while the waves
were going forward to Pommiers Trench.

" The men were by this time quite cool and collected, and
apparently very happy," wrote an officer a day or two later.
" Several of them were holding little sing-songs, while others
were very energetically shaking hands and wishing their officers
good luck.

" During our halt in this trench we have time to realize more
than ever what the din of battle is like ; for the roll of the French
75 's, the crack of our 18-pounders, the blast of the 60-pounders,
the deafening roar of the heavies, the whizzing of bullets and
bursting of shells, and the painful cry of the wounded, remind
us vividly that we are taking part in the world's greatest battle."

On the way to Pommiers Trench there has been many in-
stances of individual gallantry. Under heavy machine-gun
fire. Private J. Nicholson, of the FusiHers, shot six Germans
who were sniping the oncoming waves, and then, although
wounded, bombed and knocked out a machine-gun which was
holding up the advance.

Private W. T. Taverner, of the same battalion, located a
machine gun in Pommiers Trench, and, unable to get at the
gunner, who was barricaded in, stood on top of the emplace-
ment, under fire, and shouted to the waves to scatter right and
left, tlius sav'i.ij a number of casualties, and well darning his
Military Midal.

37

A D.C.M. went to a Fusilier signaller, Private J. W. Hughes,
for a capital piece of work. Having to send a message which
he knew was urgent, he chose a white flag, the most visible
as it was also the most dangerous, and coolly stood on top of
the parapet under a hail of shot and shell. Although wounded,
he carried on till a shell dealt him a terrible injury which rendered
him unconscious.

At this same stage of the proceedings Private V. C. Taylor,
of the Bedfordshire Regiment, showed fine initiative. Sent
forward to reconnoitre when his platoon was approaching
Pommiers Trench, he saw in the trench one of our men going
round a traverse where a German was waiting for him with
fixed bayonet, and about twelve more Bosches behind him.
Taylor acted promptly, seizing our man by the equipment
and dragging him bodily out of the trench. He then crawled
up and bombed the party of Germans so effectively that six
were killed and the rest taken prisoners.

At this time our left flank was in the air, the neighbouring
Brigade being hung up before Dantzig Alley. This was the
more uncomfortable since the Germans were holding Fritz
Trench (leading into Black Alley, where our left rested) in some
force.

The matter was dealt with in a simple way which was a good
example of co-operation between Lewis guns and trench mortars.
Two Lewis guns of the left company of the Fusiliers were put
in Black Alley in such a manner as to command the approach
to Fritz Trench. Two 3-inch Stokes mortars were then brought
up. They pounded Fritz Trench, the Germans were forced to
bolt, and the Lewis guns did the rest.

The most difficult part of the morning work had still to be
done. As information from raids had led us to expect, the
Germans did not hold their front line in any great strength,
except for well-placed machine guns. But the advance from
Pommiers Trench to Pommiers Redoubt was a different matter,
for the wire had not been sufficiently cut, and the line was held
far more strongly and with much more determination.

When the leading waves got out of Pommiers Trench, they
were met with heavy machine gun and rifle fire, and the few
who reached the wire were shot down. Captain Johnston, of
the Fusiliers, attempted to take his men up Black Alley, but
the last 60 yards was a straight, and was held by a machine
gun. He then attempted to get round the Redoubt, but German
snipers in the south-west corner of Beetle Alley proved a nuisance.
2nd-Licutenant Savage, on his left, rushed them at that spot,
and the Fusiliers were able to get close up to the Redoubt
without further casualties. Captain Johnston then put his
Lewis guns at the end of Black Alley in such a way as to enfilade
the front of the Redoubt. This wiped out all the Germans in
the trench, and our line was able to dash in and finish the job.

38

It was, however, 9.30 a.m. before the Redoubt was completely
taken, as there were many Germans still in dug-outs, and they
put up a very obstinate resistance.

Some good Lewis-gun work by Lance-Corporal H. A. Stebbeds,
of the Bedfordshire Regiment, contributed to the capture of
the Redoubt. When a part of the attack was held up outside
the Redoubt by uncut wire and enemy snipers, he crawled some
hundred yards to a flank with his gun, got on to the enemy's
parapet, and fired down a straight portion of enemy trench,
putting about twenty-five Germans out of action, and enabling
our line to get forward.

With officer casualties so high, there was a great call for
leadership on the part of N.C.Os., and Sergeant S. Impey, also
of the Bedfordshire Regiment, won his M.M. that day. He was
in command of his company practically all the way from Emden
Trench. When it was held up before the Redoubt, he sprang
forward, called on the men to follow, and got them into the
objective.

Presently our barrage lifted off Beetle Alley (beyond the
Redoubt), and this trench was at once rushed by the Fusiliers
and Bedfordshire Regiment, the latter having to push in their
reserve company.

By this time the Northamptonshire Regiment had come up
in support of the assaulting battalions, and were carrying out
the double duty of making strong points and clearing trenches
and dug-outs. All the companies had had to pass through a
heavy enemy barrage on their way up, and suffered heavy
casualties.

In the afternoon parties of the Fusiliers (three platoons) and
Bedfordshire Regiment (one platoon) reached \Vhite Trench,
which wound round nearly 1,000 yards beyond the Redoubt,
near Mametz Wood, and after dark the construction of strong
points just south of this line was begun. Most of those who
took part will remember this digging, after a long and exciting
day, as the worst part of the whole show. Everyone was
tired out, and if a man ceased digging for a moment he dropped
off to sleep where he stood or fell. Perhaps it was worse for
the protective screen out in front, for they had not the exercise
of digging to keep them awake. Only one little excitement did
they have. About 10.30 that night a strong party of Germans
was reported in front of Caterpillar Wood, apparently coming
over to dispute our right to dig in ground that had so recently
been theirs. We Opened rapid fire and drove them off, and for
the rest of the night there was little to do but dig or try to
keep awake and watch the German firework display. This was
on a big scale. On our left the enemy was apparently fearing
an attack, for our line had been rather held up in the daytime,
and Very lights were being fired into the air by the hundred.
To our front, green, white, and red lights were going up, and all

39

the time there was the booming of our guns and the flash of
our shells.

At midnight one platoon of the Fusiliers and two platoons
of the Bedfordshire Regiment were holding White Trench. The
remainder of the Fusiliers held part of Beetle Alley, Maple
Trench, and Strong Point No. 5. The remainder of the Bed-
fordshire Regiment also held part of Beetle Alley, Montauban
Alley as far as the junction with Loop Trench, as well as Pom-
miers Redoubt and Trench. The Northamptonshire Regiment
occupied Bund Trench, Black Alley, and five strong points.
The Middlesex Regiment was in our original front line.

Three officers of the Bedfordshire Regiment were awarded
the M.C. for gallant work in and around Pommiers Redoubt.
2nd-Lieutenant (now Major) W. J. W. Colley was one of the
only two officers who survived the attack on the Redoubt.
" He was [says the official account of his action] absolutely
regardless of any fire, however hot. In fact, he appeared to
enjoy it. This example was of the greatest value, for the task
of consolidation under heavy fire was carried out most thor-
oughly. He organized several bombing parties, and helped to
clear out both Beetle Alley and Montauban Alley at a critical
time, when both flanks of the Brigade were in the air owing
to the Brigades on the left and right being held up."

Another M.C. went to Captain (now Lieutenant-Colonel) A. E.
Percival, of the same battalion, of whom the official account
says : " His coolness under heavy shell and machine-gun fire
was an inspiring example to his men. His dispositions to make
defensive flanks were quite excellent. It was owing to his
initiative that Montauban Alley was eventually cleared of the
enemy as far as its junction with Loop Trench, which resulted
in assisting the Brigade on our right to make good its final
objective. His example, went far to maintaining the high
morale of his men."

The medical officer of the Bedfordshire Regiment, Captain
J. W. Turner, R.A.M.C., who also won the M.C, left the assembly
trenches shortly after the first waves had gone over,, and did
not reach Pommiers Redoubt till three in the afternoon, spend-
ing seven hours on the ground in between, tending the wounded
both of the 54th and 53rd Brigades, under heavy shelling and
continual machine-gun fire from the right. His orderly was
killed beside him, and he then carried on unaided. The Bed-
fordshire Regiment will remember that it was the same gallant
doctor who, on the afternoon of July i8th, when the cook-
house was being heavily shelled, remained with the wounded,
in spite of the shells continually bursting around.

On the morning of July 2nd the Bedfordshire Regiment was
withdrawn to Carnoy, and the Fusiliers took over the defence of
the Brigade front. On the 3rd the Fusiliers, in their turn,
went back to Carnoy, handing over to the Middlesex Regiment.

4°

That night one of our patrols got in touch with a patrol of
the 53rd Brigade in Caterpillar Wood, and on the following day
the Middlesex Regiment took over a part of the 53rd Brigade's
front, in addition to our own, holding it till relieved on the
6th by the Bedfordshire Regiment.

During the night of 4th-5th the Middlesex Regiment sent
forward one company to Caterpillar Wood (half right, about
1,500 yards from the Redoubt), with a detachment at Marl-
brough Wood. An officer patrol was sent forward from Cater-
pillar Wood towards Bazentin-le-Petit to reconnoitre the village,
and was cutting the wire in front of the German second line
when our artillery started on the same task. " This made the
patrol retire," says an official narrative, and it would be difficult
to improve on that brief dismissal of a very unpleasant situation.

A patrol sent out towards Mametz Wood on the night of
July 2nd-3rd found four German field guns deserted about
300 or 400 yaids from White Trench. Accordingly, plans were
made to bring them in, and on the night of July 4th-3th the
Brigade started the i8th Division's fittle collection by getting
two of them safely inside our lines. Those who remember the
remarkable collection of trophies grouped outside Divisional
headquarters at Le Cateau in the last days of the war — a group
to which the Brigade had very materially contributed — will
appreciate how well this habit of appropriating German guns,
once formed, was kept up.

On this night of July 4th, IQ16, Captain (now Major) S. F.
Shepherd, of the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment, was ordered
to report with three other officers and 100 men to a R.E.
officer at a certain camp. All they knew was they were detailed
for a certain fatigue — for fatigues were fatigues in those days,
before the brilliant notion of making them enjoyable by calling
them " working parties " had been thought of — and there was
no hint of the exciting task that lay before them.

At the dump they were told about the four German guns,
and were given orders to bring them in. It was a cheerful
" fatigue." The night was pitch dark, no one knew exactly
where the Germans were, except that our patrols were generally
fired on, and the party, after going " over the top " for the
first time in a big show four days before, 1 ad been under heavy
shelling ever since.

The R.E. officer led the way down White Trench. When
they had gone as far as they could, he pointed vaguely in the
direction where the guns would be found, if luck were good,
and then turned back, saying that he would prepare bridges
over our trenches for the guns to be dragged across.

Captain Shepherd got out of the trench, and began stumbling
among the shell-holes and debris-^that is the time when you
alternatively curse the darkness for hiding the obstacles and
thank it for hiding yourself ! — till at last he found the guns.

41

Two of them had smashed wheels, but the other two were in
good condition and could be moved. FaUing and bkmdering
back to the trench, he sent out a covering party, and led the
rest of the men to the guns. Thirty men and an officer were
detailed to one gun, given the general direction of our line, and
started on their way back. Then Captain Shepherd began to
get the second gun-team ready, but while doing so saw, to his
horror, that the first gun was being dragged towards the Bosche
lines, direction having been lost at some shell-hole. He rushed
out, put this gun on the right way again, and returned to find
that the second one had started on its journey and finished up
among the wire of a strong point held by the Middlesex Regi-
ment.

Bear in mind that, with all the care in the world, the noise
of dragging the guns was — or at any rate seemed to be — terrific,
for a gun that is being man-handled across No Man's Land in
the darkness seems to acquire all the obstinacy and perversity
of a mule. Remember, too, that no one knew where the German
wire was, and that on occasions like this the coolest-headed is
apt to see a Bosche in every shadow. Once some dark figures
were seen dimly at a little distance, and an officer crept out,
revolver in hand, to look. Happily it was only a part of our
own covering party.

At last the second gun was cut out of the Middlesex Regiment's
wire — Middlesex congratulations not yet to hand ! — and the
uphill journey back to our front line was completed without
further mishap. But there another difficulty arose. The R.E.
officer appeared and said his men had not turned up, so no
bridge could be thrown across the trench.

The men were given a breather in the trench, and then it was
decided to knock in the sides and drag the guns across. This
was done, the covering party was left behind to rebuild the
trench, and it seemed that the task was nearly over, for orders
were to haul the guns another 300 or 400 yards, just over the
crest of the slope, where gunners with horses would meet them.

The rendezvous was reached, but no men or horses were
there. Later it was found that the artillery thought that the
job was to be done on the next night. So there was nothing
else to be done but to haul the guns another mile farther back —
and how the Northamptonshire men began to hate those guns !
— till at last men and guns alike were in safety. It was then
just dawn, and the " fatigue," which had begun at dusk, was
safely accomplished without the loss of a single man.

The next day the guns were seen being taken back by artillery
men to Mellecourt, with a board on them which read, " Cap-
tured by the i8th Division," and the Northamptonshifes never
saw their guns again.

On July 8th the Brigade was relieved by the 9th Brigade,
and the battalions were marched back to camp in the Bois des

42

Tallies. Then there were sleep and concerts and baths — and
the greatest of these was sleep — and a visit by Sir Ivor Maxse,
who told the officers how well the Brigade had done. And thus
ended the first phase of the Somrae offensive, so far as this
Brigade was concerned.

Trigger Valley.

Chapter V

TRONES WOOD

'TpHE Brigade was not to have a long rest. Early on July 12th
* came orders to move up to Maricourt and Trigger Valley, in
support of the 55th Brigade, and by twelve noon on the follow-
ing day the dispositions were as follows : — •

Brigade Headquarters
nth Royal Fusiliers
7th Bedfordshire Regiment
Trench Mortar Battery
Machine Gun Company (less

two sections)
6th Northamptonshire Regt. \
I section Machine Gun Com- - Maricourt.

pany. )

1 2th Middlesex Regiment \ Original front line British

One section Machine Gun I trenches between Mari-

Company [ court-Briqueterie road

I and Machine Gun Wood.

That afternoon the Northamptonshire and Middlesex Regi-
ments were placed at the disposal of G.O.C. 55th Brigade, who
had been ordered to recapture Trones Wood. The Northamp-
tonshires remained were they were. One company of the Middle-
sex Regiment was moved to Bernafay Wood, and headquarters
and the other three companies were moved to a former German
trench known as Dublin Trench. During the night of July
1 3th- 14th the Middlesex Regiment was again moved, a company
being sent to Sunken Road and one to Trones Wood. The
scattered state of the battalion must be borne in mind in follow-
ing later events.

In the dark and early hours of July 14th, shortly after mid-
night, a telephone message was received from Divisional head-
quarters stating that the 55th Brigade attack on Trones Wood
the previous evening had failed, and that the 34th Brigade
would attack and capture the wood at all costs in order to
protect the right flank of the 3rd and 9th Divisions in their
attack on the German second line between Longueval and Bazen-
tin-le-Petit Wood.

The Fusiliers and Bedfordshire Regiment were at once set on
the move, the former with orders for Dublin Trench, and the

43

44

latter for Maricourt. A Fusilier officer's diary has the follow-
ing note on this stage of the proceedings : — -

" Suddenly awakened at i a.m., and told we have to
move at once. No one knows where we have to go. The
battalion falls in, packs are dumped, and in a very short
time we are ready for any scrap.

" Just as we reach Maricourt our guns begin to make
an unearthly din. Various rumours are going about tliat
Trones Wood has been taken, and that we have to recap-
ture it. The guns get more and more active. Suddenly
we get to the forward edge of the village, and see a lovely
sight. The whole sky is lit up with gun-flashes and Very
lights.

" Dawn breaks and shows us clouds of smoke. The
Germans are putting a barrage on Trones Wood. We get
orders to move up to Dublin Trench. Just as we get off,
the Huns start a barrage on the Maricourt-Briqueterie
Road. We have one casualty, a poor devil who gets his
head blown off by a large piece of shrapnel ; but the men
keep in their fours and go on as if nothing had happened."

It was decided to attack from the southern extremity of
the wood, to drive from south to north, and to establish a
defensive flank facing east on the eastern edge of the wood
as it was occupied. The Middlesex Regiment was to attack,
supported by the Northamptonshire Regiment, who were to
" mop up " and establish the defensive flank.

A railway runs through the wood, east and west, at about
the centre. As the position of our troops who made the un-
successful attack was uncertain on the south of this line, it was
decided that the barrage should commence on the railway at
4.30 a.m., when the assaulting battalions might be expected to
have reached that line, and then step slowly in front of our
troops.

Owing to difficulties of communication, all telephone wires
being continually cut by shell fire, Lieutenant-Colonel F. A.
Maxwell, V.C., D.S.O., commanding the 12th Middlesex Regi-
ment, was given the command of the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment as well during the actual assault.

Colonel INIaxwell had come to the Brigade with a big reputa-
tion as a fine fighting soldier, and during his command of the
Middlesex Regiment (from June to October, 1916) he enhanced
that reputation, if it were possible. His old officers and men felt
it as a heavy personal loss when he was afterwards killed while
commanding a Brigade.

One of his old officers gives the following little picture of his
cool behaviour on this occasion : —

" It was in Trones Wood on July 15th," (he writes) "Colonel
Maxwell had gathered his company commanders round him to

45

take down some orders. He was at the bottom or broad end of
the Wood, and 5'9's were coming down all round us about
two a minute. Colonel Maxwell stood in the centre of the
group, and his orders, which he was giving out verbally, were
drowned every moment by the e.xplosion of a shell within a
radius of 25 to 50 yards. He merely blew the earth off his paper
each time, rapped out ' Anybody hurt ?' and with a little smile
proceeded. This happened at least three times in a few minutes.
We were all delighted when the orders were completed."

But to return to the early hours before the attack. The
Northamptonshire and Middlese.x Regiments were ordered to
rendezvous in the sunken road about 1,000 yards south-west
of the Wood. On arriving there Colonel Maxwell found the
Northamptonshire Regiment (temporarily under the command
of Major Clark, Major Charrington being still at Brigade head-
quarters) ready to move. But only one company of the Middle-
sex Regiment was here. As already pointed out, they had
been scattered over a rather wide area. At that moment a
second company was on its way from Dublin Trench, a third
was actually in Trones Wood, and the fourth was still in Bernafay
Wood out of all touch, and did not rejoin the battalion till the
morning of the 15th.

In these circumstances, and owing to the fact that dawn was
breaking. Colonel Maxwell decided to use the Northamptonshire
Regiment as the assaulting battalion, and the Middlesex Regi-
ment, as it came up, for clearing purposes, and to form the
defensive flank.

So at 4 a.m., at about two minutes' notice so far as company
officers and the men were concerned, the Northamptonshire
Regiment set out. supported by two companies of the Middlesex
Regiment. To reach the south-west corner of the Wood,
they had to pass over about 1,000 yards of open ground
under an exceptionally heavy barrage of 59's and larger shells.
But, in spite of heavy losses, the advance went forward with
great determination. Soon after entering the Wood Major
Clark was killed while gallantly reconnoitring ahead of his men.
About 200 yards inside the south-west edge of the Wood th.;
battalion came under heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, and the
two leading companies at once attacked on their own initiative.
Shortly afterwards Colonel Maxwell and Major Charrington
arrived, but by this time the Northamptonshire Regiment had
fought their way forward into the blue, and no signs of them
could be found. One company of the Middlesex Regiment was
found in a trench about 150 yards inside the Wood, where they
had been during the previous night, and two other companies
of the same battalion now arrived from the sunken road.

No news of the Northamptonshire liegiment was received for
some little time, except two verbal messages asking for more
bombs, which suggested that the good work was being carried

46

on, and a company of the Middlesex Regiment, under Captain
Dennis, was sent to deal with a strong point at the south-east
edge of the Wood, on the Guillemont road.

It will now be more convenient to follow the movements of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, as far as they can be pieced to-
gether from messages received by Major Charrington, who had
now taken over command, statements by company officers, and
letters from wounded officers.

About 5 a.m. one company was bombing its way up a trench
which ran north-east from the south-west corner of the Wood,
and ended in a strong point about 350 yards from the edge.
This strong point was holding up the advance'. Major Clark
was by this time killed.

Major Charrington pushed forward, and found two companies
pushing through the undergrowth to attack the strong point,
which was resisting with heavy rifle and machine-gun fire.
Captain Shepherd, though severely wounded in the shoulder,
was standing up in the open cheering on his men in a very gallant
way, and continued to lead them till exhausted. By this time
a fresh supply of bombs came up, the attack was pushed home,
and the strong point was captured soon after 6 a.m., the enemy
leaving about fifty dead around this fiercely-contested spot.
For his gallant leading and fine example at this point Captain
Shepherd was awarded the M.C.

Corporal J. Freeman and Lance-Corporal L. T. Roberts won
Military Medals in the taking of this strong point, bombing with
great courage and accuracy, and always keeping their men push-
ing forward up the trench in spite of heavy casualties.

Wood-fighting in the summer-time, when the trees and under-
growth are full of foliage, is necessarily bhndfold work, and, in
spite of the heavy shelling, Trones Wood was still sufficiently
thick and entangled to make communication and co-operation
somewhat difficult. It is therefore not surprising to find that
Colonel Maxwell was for some time ill-informed as to the
position, and especially as to how the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment was getting on.

At 9 a.m. Captain Podmore reported all Trones Wood secured,
with the exception of the strong point at the south-east edge
on the Guillemont road, which Captain Dennis of the Middlesex
Regiment was tackling. As a matter of fact, the strong point
fell to the Middlesex Regiment, with the assistance of some 7th
Buffs and a Stokes mortar, just about the time this message
was received. It is clear that by this time 2nd-Lieutenant
Redhead (Northamptonshire Regiment), who had been sent by
Captain Podmore to work north through the Wood, had done so
with great success, moving up the west side and down the east
side till he reached the strong point on the Guillemont road.
Some enemy weie seen running away in disorder from the eastern
edge of the Wood towards Guillemont under fire from the machine

47

guns of the Middlesex Regiment, who were now in the strong
point, and two Lewis guns which the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment had got into position on the eastern edge.

The next definite news is a message from 2nd-Lieutenant
(now Major) T. R. Price of the Northamptonshire Regiment,
stating that he had taken over " B " Company, and was holding
his position about the middle of the eastern edge of the Wood.
After doing much good work with his own platoon this day,
2nd-Lieutenant Price took over " B " Company when no other
officers were left, and, although wounded in the leg, carried on
till the next day, when officer reinforcements arrived.

About this time " D " Company of the Fusiliers was sent into
the Wood to reinforce, and No. 14 platoon was used to garrison
the strong point which had been taken by the Middlesex Regi-
ment. The other platoons were withdrawn to prevent unneces-
sary casualties, as the Germans were now throwing into the
Wood everything that came to hand.

To return to the troops under the direct command of Colonel
Maxwell.

At about 8 a.m. Colonel Maxwell went to the eastern edge of
the Wood to try and clear up the situation, and learned from
Captain Dennis that the Middlesex company had not yet taken
the strong point. However, it was clear that the German
garrison of the strong point was being kept thoroughly amused,
and too interested in its own troubles to be of any far-reaching
danger. He therefore pushed a little way into the Wood, but
found only a small party of the Northamptonshire Regiment
about 100 yards inside.

As a result of this reconnaissance he came to the conclusion
that, with the exception of the parties he had first seen, and
the two Middlesex companies he had left at his headquarters at
the south-west corner of the Wood, there were no organized
units visible, as he had then no news of the rest of the North-
amptonshire Regiment. He therefore decided to start afreshj
and, collecting every available man, to form a line across the
Wood and sweep northwards. For this purpose he got together
a number of Middlesex and Northamptonshire men, and began
to beat the woods. Tittle opposition was met, and there were
few casualties 4111 he neared the first of the two railway lines
that run east and west through the Wood. Here a German
machine gun opened on the line from near the western edge,
and a hitherto unknown strong point was located.

The line was halted, and Colonel Maxwell, taking seventy men
with him, attacked this strong point, and after a rather acri-
monious discussion with bomb and bullet, destroyed the whole
of the German garrison, and captured the machine gun.

The line was then re-formed, and the sweep through the woods
continued. It appears probable that by this time all the men of
the Northamptonshire Regiment who had disappeared into

48

the Wood early in the morning were hning a part of the eastern
edge of the wood. After crossing the second railway line,
hardly a single German was seen in the dense wood to the front,
but a number began to break cover to our right, on the eastern
edge. Colonel Maxwell ordered every man to hre as he advanced,
and this seems to have had a steadying effect on the men's
nerves, as well as decreasing the enemy's morale, for no further
serious opposition was encountered. As the enemy broke away
eastward towards Guillemont, the Northamptonshire's Lewis
guns already posted on that edge of the Wood did some pretty
work. It must have been these driven Germans to whom the
Northamptonshire Regiment's report of about 9 a.m. (from
2nd-Lieutenant Redhead) had referred.

Still moving in line formation. Colonel Maxwell's party swept
to the apex of the Wood, and there steps were taken to dispose
the various units and their Lewis guns along the eastern edge.

The whole of the Wood was now in our hands, and it was evi-
dent that the three strong points already referred to were the
chief German defences. After these were captuied our troops
had chiefly to contend with snipers and detached bodies of the
enemy making their wa}' northward and Eastward.

Once the whole Wood was in our possession and the eastern
edge consolidated as a defensive flank, the enemy made no
attempt to counter-attack, but subjected the place to incessant
and heavy shelling from guns of large calibre.

Casualties during the attack, apart from the subsequent
occupation, were heavy. The Northamptonshire Regiment lost
seven officers killed and eight wounded, and had about 300
casualties among other ranks. The Middlesex Regiment had
four officers wounded and 150 casualties in other ranks.

During these operations Sergeant WilUam E. Boulter, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, won the V.C. The official account
of his action reads : —

" During the capture of Trones Wood one company and
a portion of another company was held up by a machine
gun which was causing heavy casualties.

" Sergeant Boulter, reaUzing the situation, with complete
disregard of his personal safety, and in spite of being severely
wounded in the shoulder, advanced alone across the open
in front of the gun under heavy fire, and bombed the team
from their position, thereby saving the lives of many of his
comrades and materially assisting the advance which event-
ually cleared Trones Wood."

The Northamptonshire padre. Captain E A. Bennett, had
been a prominent figure throughout the day of hard fighting.
As on July ist, he went everywhere, often under the hottest
fire, seeking out the wounded and tending them, a work he
continued all through the nights following these battles. On

Pholo : Duy'c]

[Brussels

MAJOR-GENERAL \V C G HENEKER, C.M.G., D.S.O.,

Who Commanded the 5+th Infantry Brigade, March to December, 1915

To face page 48.

49

the evening after the capture of Trones Wood, Lieutenant
Newberry, the Northamptonshire medical officer, was killed
while gallantly attending the wounded, and Captain Bennett
thereupon took charge of the stretcher-bearers, superintending
their work till another doctor could be sent up. The stretcher-
bearers themselves did splendidly. One of them, Private G.
Adams, was awarded the Military Medal. " During July 14th
and the two succeeding days [says the official account] he showed
the greatest devotion to duty under a heavy fire which killed
and wounded many of his comrades." Privates W. Easson,
H. Pearn, and J. Goodman were also prominent in gallant work
as stretcher-bearers.

The heavy casualties among officers threw a great responsi-
bility on the N.C.Os. of the Northamptonshire Regiment, and
they were not found wanting. Sergeants J. Partridge and
E. C. Pullen took command of their respective companies, in
very trying circumstances, when all their officers had been killed,
and led them with great courage and ability. Platoons were
led, after their officers had been killed, by Sergeants H. Peek
and W. Sullivan and Corporal E, W. Tack.

While Corporal E. Radley was out on a reconnaissance, he
ran into a party of four Germans. He at once went for them
with his bare fists, knocked one out, returned and reported to
his officer, and then took out a party of bombers, who dealt
with the rest of the Germans.

Volunteering to go forward and look for snipers who were
hiding in shell-holes, Private J. F. Norris came across two with
a machine gun. He ordered them out of their shell-hole, shot
them when they refused, and brought in their machine gun
under heavy fire.

The importance and difficulty of communication in such a
task as the capture of Trones Wood are obvious, and the Middle-
sex Regiment was well served by Corporals A. Jackson and
R. Clayton, who were continually under heavy shell fire lajdng
and mending telephone wires.

On the night of July 1 6th- 17th the battalions were relieved in
the wood, and by the 19th the whole Brigade was again in camp
in the Bois des Tallies. Then came several train journeys, and
by August 8th the Brigade was up north and in the line in the
Armentieres sector.

On the whole, it was a quiet time, and in at least one part
of the line a new.spaper boy used to come round each morning.
Battalions out of the line were sent by turn in 'busses to the
Bois de Nieppe for training in wood-fighting. By the end of
the month the Brigade had gone south again, and was training
in the St. Pol area ; and on September 23rd all the battalions
were at Hedauville and Varennes, a few miles north-west of
Albert, ready for the next great show, the capture of Thiepval
and the Schwaben Redoubt.

50

It was during this period of training for Thiepval that the
Trench Mortar Battery gave a demonstration of the new FouHs
adapter. " Very successful ; cut the top off the cap of a spec-
tator, an officer who had just returned from hospital with
shell-shock," is the cheery report on the proceedings by the
Tock Emma wallahs themselves.

Chapter VI

T H I E P V A I.

P^OR two years British and French troops had been looking up
•■■ the slope from the Ancre to the battered village of Thiepval
on the crest, where at last, after many bombardments and un-
successful assaults, nothing could be seen but the ruins of the
old Chateau.

It was known that the Germans attached great importance to
the position, for it gave them their last remaining observation
posts over the Albert area. Also it was a bastion hindering
our further advance in this sector, a nasty salient in our line.

Owing to recent successful fighting it was now possible to
attack from the south, the jumping-off point for the 54th Brigade
being a trench running east and west, about 500 yards south of
Chateau Redoubt, and at a distance varying from 100 to 250
yards from the German front line. The old British front line,
running roughly north and south, enabled the artillery to enfilade
the German position from the west.

In considering the dispositions and tasks of the 54th Brigade
it is necessary to have a clear picture of the situation in mind.
Imagine that Trafalgar Square was Thiepval village. For two
years our front line had been where the Thames Embankment
stands, and the Germans had naturally an elaborate system of
trenches, strong points, and dug-outs facing that front. But
we were now able to attack along the Strand towards the Square,
and our left-hand battalion must thus fight its way along the
whole length of the old German front line trench system. Our
whole attack, in fact, was a fiank attack along the original
German front.

" The i8oth Regiment of Wurtemburgers have withstood
attacks on Thiepval f . r two years, but the 1 8th' Division will
take it to-morrow." That was the word passed round on the
night of September 25th, and everyone was full of confidence.
The troops were trained to the minute ; attack formations had
been practised till it could be expected that the advance would
push through to its final objective as a drill movement, what-
ever the obstacles or casualties. It was known, too, that the
artillery preparation had been terrific. As our men took their
places in the assembly trenches it was whispered that before
" zero " 60,000 rounds of field artillery and 45,000 rounds of
heavy stuff would have been fired by the 2nd Corps alone and
that a big dose of gas was being put into the village overnight.
Clearl}' the Prussians and \\'urtemburgers who held the place
were having a thin time.

51 e2

52

The .54th Brigade were on the left of the Divisional front,
the 33rd Brigade being on our right.

That Thiepval and Schwaben I^edoubt — the latter being a
little farther north, and dealt with in the next chapter — will ever
remain among the proudest memories of the Brigade, and that
they were justified in the value they set on the feat is shown
by the following words written afterwards by Sir Ivor Maxse : —

" The capture of Thiepval village and Schwaben Redoubt
were distinct and important episodes even in a great
European war. They involved in each case a deliberate
assault and the capture of a considerable depth of intricate
trenches, defended by stubborn regiments who had held
their ground against many previous attacks. After visiting
the ground in leisure and in peace, I am to this day lost in
admiration at the grit shown by" the British battalions
which fought continuously from September 26th to Octo-
ber 5th, and conquered such strongholds as Thiepval and
Schwaben."

To the 12th Middlesex Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel F. A.
Maxwell, V.C., D.S.O.) was given the task of capturing Chateau
Redoubt and the village, while to the nth Royal Fusiliers
(Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Carr) was given the difficult left flank,
where it had to deal with the trenches and dug-outs of the
original German front line, which covered Thiepval from the
west. As it was known that the Brigade had the toughest job
in the Division that day, it was given a front of only 300 yards.
The distance to the final objective was 1,800 yards.

It gives some idea of the strength of the position which the
Germans had been holding and improving for two years to
know that a captured German map showed 144 deep dug-outs
in the area allotted to the 54th Brigade, without counting the
deep dug-outs around the Chateau Redoubt, and several strong
points on the enemy's original front fine, along which the Fusi-
liers were to fight their way.

Behind the Fusiliers and the Middlesex Regiment was the
6th Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel
G. E. Ripley) in close support, and the 7th Battalion Bedford-
shire Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel G. D. Price) was in reserve
in dug-outs in Thiepval Wood and the Bluff to the west.

The Fusilier companies were necessarily rather scattered.
" D " Company (Captain R. H. V. Thompson), with two machine
guns and two trench mortars, was detailed to clear the enemy's
front-line trenches. " C " Company (Lieutenant, now Lieu-
tenant-Colonel, A. E. Sulman) was sent over with the Middlesex
to " mop up," a job so well done that practically all Germans
left behind the leading waves were silenced, and there were no
cases of the assaulting battalion being shot in the back as it
advanced. The other companies were sent over in support.

53

Zero hour was 12.35 pm. on September 26th. A Fusilier
officer who went over with " D " Comptmy made the following
entry in his diary : —

" We hoped to disturb the Bosche in the middle of his
dinner. Our assembly trench was shelled rather heavily
at about 12.15, and we thought at first that we had been
discovered. However, no one in our company was hurt,
and after about tc^i rounds of 5'9's we had peace. Our
shelling had been merely normal, but at 12.35 the biggest
barrage ever u.sed was to open out.

With the first shell we were over the top, and had gone
several yards before the barrage had really started. When
it did start — my word ! It came with a fearful ear-splitting
crashing and rending, thousands of shells bursting almost
simultaneously. We met Bosches running about, scared
out of their wits, like a crowd of rabbits diving for their
holes. Men were rushing about unarmed, men were holding
up their hands and yelling for mercy, men were scuttling
about everywhere, trying to get away from that born
fighter, the Cockney, but they had very little chance.

" I had the pleasure of shooting foui of them before I
was wounded in the wrist. After this everything seems
blurred. I found myself in a shell-hole with one of my
men who was also wounded. We patched each other up,
and then went on. I have visions of excited men tearing
after the Bosches, visions of men sitting over dug-out
entrances waiting to shoot the first Bosche that appeared."

Both battalions got away well, close up to the barrage. The
German barrage came down on our front line five minutes later,
but most of the assaulting troops had already been got forward,
distances being corrected in No Man's Land, and the left of our
Hue (chiefly " A " and " B " Companies, Fusiliers) was the only
part to suffer.

The Fusiliers were the first to get into grips with the enemy,
a strong point being encountered where Brawn Trench joined
the old German front line. This held up " D " Company, and
also the left flank of the Middlesex, but the rest of the attack
went on. Captain Thompson sent part of his company over
the top to help the Middlesex Regiment in Brawn Trench, and
led the rest of his men against the strong point. Unhappily, he
was killed just as the strong point was being successfully rushed,
and in the hand-to-hand fighting that followed Ueutenant
R. A. Mall-Smith was also killed and Lieutenant G. E. Cornaby
wounded. A great number of CJermans were killed here, and
twenty-five were taken prisoners and sent back.

" D " Company Fusiliers now continued along the German
front line, fighting every yard of their way. Lewis guns that
were pushed up did useful work shooting along the trench,

54

and accounting for great numbers of Germans as tfiey ran from
dug-outs.

In the meantime the general hne had moved on towards
the Chateau, but was checked there by deadly machine-gun fire.
Just at this moment the first of the two tanks allotted to the
Brigade came waddling across from Thiepval Wood. This
aroused tremendous interest and enthusiasm. Tanks had made
their first dramatic appearance on any battlefields oidy ten days
before, but already their fame was on every tongue, and the
news that two of them were to help us had been passed round
overnight. The first arrival left the Wood at zero and was
timed to reach the Chateau at the same time as the assaulting
infantry. This part of the time table worked well. The enemy
machine guns were effectively dealt with, and the leading com-
panies of the Middlesex Regiment passed the ruins right and
left.

According to programme, this tank, with its fellow, who was
now coming up, should have led the infantry into Thiepval,
stayed there so long as was necessary to squash any " self-
determination " on the part of the German colony, and then
moved on to show Schwaben Redoubt how a public nuisance
should be checked. But, unhappily, both tanks became
" ditched " near the Chateau, and the infantry had to carry on
without them.

At the Chateau a trench mortar was brought into action in
unorthodox style. A section that had started out with two
guns and ten shell-carriers arrived there with only one barrel
and three rounds of ammunition. These were fired by using
a man's shoulder instead of a stand, and a steel helmet as
base-plate.

Our left was now badly held up by continuous machine-gun
fire from the German front line, and a part of the leading com-
pany of the Fusiliers which attempted to get astride the trench
was engaged in fighting at this point till next morning.

The position at about i p.m. was roughly as follows : —

The right of the Middlesex Regiment was still getting on well,
but the left was making only slow progress, as, in addition to
holding his old front strongly, the Bosche had a large number
of men in the left or west corner of the ruin which had once
been Thiepval. The left company of the Fusiliers was still
engaged on the old 'German front Hne. The dug-out clearing
party of that battalion was near the Chateau, with the Middlesex
Regiment, and the other two companies of the F"usiliers were
approaching the left of the village. Major Hudson (" A " Com-
pany), seeing the Middlesex Regiment in difficulties about the
Chateau, at once pushed forward his men to their assistance.
After passing the Chateau the right of our line had no further
landmarks to guide it, and inclined to the right, so that on
reaching the first objective it probably overlapped the dividing

55

line between this Brigade and the 53rd. Seeing this, Captain
Johnson, of the Fusiliers, fearing a gap in the attack, put in his
company and attacked northwards. This resulted in the final
capture of the first objective.

The fighting up to this point, as it was seen by a Fusilier
officer, is thus described : —

" On the left ' D ' Company had very hard fighting along
the old Bosche front line. They were eventually held up on that
line about level with the Chateau, having got on well, but with
very heavy losses. Captain Thompson was hit in the head, but
continued fighting until hit again and killed. Of the three
platoon commanders, one was killed, one wounded, and one
(Hawkins) stunned by the explosion of a trench-mortar shell,
but kept on with the company.

" ' C ' Company killed a great many Bosches in a trench
about 250 yards west of the Chateau, and running north and
south. Along this same trench Major Hudson, of ' A ' Company,
was hit through the shoulder, but continued until the final fine
was taken and consolidated. On his way down he got a bullet
through the thigh, breaking the bone, and died a few days
later.

" Battalion headquarters in the Leipzig Salient had had no
news of the fight, so at about 1.15 Colonel Carr took headquarters
forward. There was still an intense barrage, and a number of
men were hit going up On getting to the Chateau ruins, which
were merely a heap of broken bricks, we found that Colonel
Maxwell, commanding 12th Middlesex, had just arrived there.
As there was no doubt as to what was happening on the left
(' D ' Company's sector). Colonel Carr and Captain Cumberlege,
the adjutant, proceeded in that direction. A machine gun
immediately opened on us from very short range, and Colonel
Carr got three bullets through various parts of him — fortunately
none of them serious — and Cumberlege was also hit. Major
Hudson had been hit just previously, so Captain Johnson was
now in command of the Fusiliers until the evening, when Major
Meyricke, the second-in-command, who had been left out, came
up and took over. But Colonel Maxwell virtually commanded
both battalions, and also two companies of Northamptonshires
who had come up. Colonel Ripley, of the Northamptonshires,
having also been wounded (he afterwards died).

" The line eventually held was about 300 yards in front of
the Chateau. The Bosche shelled the whole area, and particu-
larly the trench from which the attack had started, until dark,
but slacked off during the night.

" For some hours during the night Colonel Maxwell was writing
diligently page after page — it was supposed popularly to be a
letter to his wife. Shells were passing over and dropping all
the time, and one runner who had the wind up gave a groan
every time one came. Suddenly Maxwell got up from his writing,

56

saying, ' I can't stand this any longer — send that man here.'
He then told everyone round to stand in a line, said, ' I'll give
him the first kick — the rest of you pass him along,' and the runner
was passed out into the dark.

" The next day I went up to look for Captain Thompson, and
found him. We buried him at the cemetery at Black Horse
Bridge, Authville. He was probably the best company com-
mander the battalion ever had."

But to return to the events of the day.

The first objective (roughly the road from Mouquet farm run-
ning through Thiepval towards the wood) having been taken,
progress became slower. Practically every inch of the ground
had to be covered, as, in addition to the organized defence,
snipers were in every other shell-hole.

It was at this point that Lance-Corporal L. Tovey, of the
Fusihers, distinguished him.self. A machine gun suddenly
appeared and fired on our line. He dashed straight at it and
bayoneted both the gunners. Later, during the confused
fighting in the village, he led his comrades when nearly all the
officers and senior N.C.Os. had become casualties. Unhappily,
he was shot through the head and killed before the day's work
was done.

Just about the same time Private L. Piatt won the Military
Medal. He took back a message from the front line to head-
quarters asking for reinforcements, after two men had already
been killed trying to get the same message through. He then
guided the reinforcements up under fire so heavy that less than
a third of them reached the line.

The snipers who were such a pest at this stage had a thin time
whenever Company Sergeant-Major (afterwards Regimental
Sergeant-Major) G. R. Taylor got at them. In the official ac-
count of the action for which he was awarded the D.C.M. it
states : —

" This Warrant Officer, with the utmost fearlessness, sought
out enemy snipers and killed several in personal duels. He
coolly assisted his company commander in reorganization, and
arranged most ably the despatch to the front line of men, S.A.A.,
and bombs."

It was about the same time that two Middlesex men, Privates
R. Ryder and F. J. Edwards, won V.Cs.

The official account of Private Edwards's action was as
follows : —

" His part of the line was held up by a machine gun. The
officers had all become casualties. There was confusion and
even suggestion of retirement. Private Edwards grasped the
situation at once. Alone, and on his own initiative, he dashed
towards the gun, which he bombed until he succeeded in knocking
it out. By this gallant act, performed with great presence of
mind, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, this

57

man made possible the continuance of the advance, and solved
a dangerous situation. His was probably one of those decisive
actions which determine the success or failure of an operation."

Private Ryder's action was officially recorded as follows : —

" His company was held up by heavy fire from the trench
in front of them, and ail his officers had become casualties. The
attack was flagging for want of leadership. Private Ryder,
realizing the situation, without a moment's thought for his own
safety, dashed absolutely alone at the enemy's trench, and by
skilful manipulation of his Lewis gun succeeded in clearing the
trench. By this brilliant act he not only made possible, but
also inspired the advance of, his comrades. It seems possible
that this single heroic action made all the difference between
success and failure in this part of the attacking line."

Up to the time the first objective was reached " D " Company
of the Fusiliers had cleared altogether twenty-five dug-outs in
the front line. In many of them the Germans showed fight,
especially in one large dug-out where numbers of the enemy with
two machine guns had established themselves. They were
invited to come out, but refused, and there was a rather acri-
monious scene. Finally, the place had to be set on fire to put
an end to the discussion, as it happened to be one of the Fusiliers'
busy days, and they had no time to waste on argument. Many
Germans arc beheved to have perished in the flames, eleven were
killed as they came out, and fourteen who were wounded were
taken prisoners.

As the advance progressed many Germans bolted northwards,
but, owing to the broken nature of the ground, they were (in
the graphic phrase of an officer who was present) as difficult to
hit as snipe, and a large percentage got away. Farther on,
however, two of the Fusilier Lewis guns (" C " Compan}-)
enfiladed them as they ran, and Lieutenant Sulman estimated
that he bagged at least fifty.

While the left of the Fusilier fine was still busy among the
trenches and dug-outs, the remainder of " A " Company and
two platoons of " C " went through to the second objective
(beyond the right corner of the village) . They there began bomb-
ing trt the left, and eventually made a block when their supply
of bombs ran out. During this operation they captured two
officers and forty-five other ranks, who were sent to the rear.
It was while advancing to the second objective that Major
Hudson was hit. Captain Johnson now took command of the
Fusiliers.

" C " Company, still clearing dug-outs, and capturing pris-
oners all the time, did a specially good piece of work about this
time. Half an hour before zero Lieutenant Sulman had been given
a captured German map showing the position of their telephone
headquarters. He showed this to his men, and told them to do
their best to find the place and to put the exchange and the
operators out of action.

58

Lance-Corporal F. Rudy, with four men, cast about till they
found the dug-out, which proved to be quite a palatial place,
with a magnificent installation. They attacked and captured
it, together with about twenty Germans inside and out, and cut
all the wires, which afforded direct communication to the enemy
artillery. Lance-Corporal Rudy then held the place without
relief or support for twelve hours under the heaviest fire. For
this he was awarded the D.C.M.

By this time the Fusilier parties on the left were hung up
by ( ross-fire from German machine guns in strong points in the
western side of the village. They also appeared to have their
flanks in the air, and asked the Middlesex for reinforcements.
All that was left of two platoons — about fifty men — was sent
out, but only six men succeeded in getting through.

At the same time one and a half companies of the same batta-
lion were on the northern side of the village, but it was impos-
sible to locate them, owing to the contradictory nature of
messages received. Most of these messages came from N.C.Os.,
the officers being casualties ; and as many of them had no maps,
greater accuracy could not be expected.

Bombing down trenches was now going on at several points,
and some good individual work was done. Several attempts
were made by the Fusiliers to rush the strong points on our
left, but each time they were beaten back by bombs and intense
cross-fire from machine guns. " It was not unusual " (remarks
an officer who was there) " to see from twelve to twenty German
stick-bombs in the air at the same time, and the whole area
looked like a firework display owing to the number of egg-bombs
the enemy showered on us."

A D.C.M. was won at this point by Private H. Bott, of the
Fusiliers. When the men around him were held up by a machine
gun, he formed and took command of a bombing party, led them
up to the trench, bombing as he went, captured the gun, and killed
the gunners.

Sergeant P. Adler also did good work here, and later gallantly
lead his platoon along the enemy front line. " At night "
(says the official account of the action for which he was awarded
the M.M.), " though wounded, he repelled intense bombing
counter-attacks till his own supply of bombs ran out. He then
collected enemy bombs, and used them to stop the enemy
rushes."

The same award was won by Private E. Townend. " When
his section ran short of bombs " (says the official account),
" taking the few bombs he had, he advanced with great boldness
up the trench, and held back the enemy bombers, while the men
behind him constructed a bomb-stop."

Lance-Corporal E. W. Hope, who was engaged in clearing
dug-outs, also did good work. In charge of a bombing section,
he entered dug-out after dug-out by himself, and cleared them

59

of the enemy. On two occasions, meeting armed enemies
underground, he disposed of them without assistance ; in others
he sent the occupants up to his party waiting' above.

Privates J.J. Mumford and E. J. Butler also did good work
as bombers, and both won the M.M. " for conspicuous, daring,
and good work in blocking a trench and counter-attacking strong
enemy bombing parties " (says the official account). " When
their sergeant and two-thirds of their ccjmrades had become
casualties, they displayed great courage in assisting their officer
to repulse the assaults of the enemy."

The Middlesex men had been displaying equal courage and
initiative on the right. There was, for instance. Private F. H.
Hatchard, who won the D.C.M. " At a critical moment " (so
runs the official account) "the men attached to battalion head-
quarters were sent up in support when the front iine was held
up by a strong point. Private Hatchard, who is no longer
young, is one of the regimental pioneers, and therefore but
little trained as a fighting man ; but, seeing a machine gun which
was causing heavy losses, he worked his way alone with a supply
of bombs to a shell-hole within easy distance. From there he
threw bombs until he had knocked out the gun team. Later,
when bombs were running short, he searched the German dug-
outs, and discovered a large .store. Throughout the night he
carried these forward and kept the bombers supplied, thus
enabHng them to hold a most important position."

Another D.C.M. went to Lance-Corporal A. Woods. " When
the left flank was held up, and the advance of the left company
checked, this N.C.O., with a private, attacked and cleared a
trench which was held by twenty of the enemy with a machine
gun. This done, he constructed a block, which took him three
or four hours, hindered by continuous enemy bombing."

Corporal T. Kempley was another " sticker," and well de-
.served his MM. For four hours he attacked a strong point, and
at last bombed his way in. He then proceeded to block the
trench, and was three times rushed by the enemy, whom he
drove off on each occasion. All this was done under heavy fire
from a minenwerfer.

But to return once more to the situation in the afternoon,
and the movements of the Northamptonshire Regiment.

At I p.m. the leading companies left their forming-up trenches
and began to go forward. By this time a very heavy enemy
barrage was being put on all communication trenches, and on
battalion headquarters at Campbell's Post. One shell burst in
the trench 3 yards from battalion headquarters, wrecked a neigh-
bouring dug-out, and blew three men to pieces. A little later
the leading company (" C ") had lost Captain Evans and 2nd-
Lieutenant Bailey as casualties.

Soon afterwards it was decided to move battalion headquarters
forward, and this was done through a heavy barrage. Colonel

6o

Ripley (who died later) and Lieutenant Barkham (A<ljntant)
being seriously wounded by the same shell. Major Charrington
then took over command.

By four o'clock tiie four companies were together near the
new battalion headcjuarters. The position then, as regards
officers, was : —

" A " Company ... One officer left (2nd-Lieutenant Gotch).
" B " Company ... No officers left (Sergeant Partridge in

command).
" C " Company ... No officers left (Sergeant Pullen in

command).
" D " Company ... One officer left (2nd-Licutenant Bates).

(Two platoons detached as carrying

party.)

There were now three battalions in the tight, all pretty well
mixed together and used up. The position about 5 p.m. was
that we had reached our second objective on the right, but our
left was bent back, owing to the resistance jnit up by the enemy
in and around his old front line. Roughly, we held the whole
of Thicpval e.xQept the north-west corner, and here a strong
machine-gun nest among the ruins, jirotected by a heavy barrage
on every side, still held out. With the exhausted troops now in
the line, no further progress could be made that night.

The Fusiliers, as the battalion on the left, were the troops
chiefly concerned, and shortly before dusk Captain Johnson,
then in command, reported the situation to Colonel Maxwell, of
the Middlesex Regiment, the senior officer on the spot. The
latter instructed him to dig in on the present line, hemming in
the enemy strong points as much as possible.

Captain Johnson therefore collected all the Fusiliers, North-
amptonshire and Middlesex Regiments in his part of the line,
and formed them into front and support lines, with about 30
yards between each line. The front line consi.sted of groups of
six men, each forming a double-sentry post at intervals of from
12 to 15 yards. These men dug towards each other with a view
to forming a continuous line. The support line was not con-
tinuous, being composed of groups with a sentry over each. A
strong point was made round one of the stranded tanks north
of the Chateau, with a garrison of twenty men and the machine
guns out of the tank.

On our right and centre the task of organizing the line was
allotted to Major Charrington, of the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment, assisted by 2nd-Li^utenant Odgers, of the Middlesex
Regiment, and 2nd-Lieutenants Bates and Gotch, of his own
battalion.

Not until II p.m. was the line finally organized and con-
solidated. Up to that time there had been continual fighting,
especially at the block in the trench where our line on the second

6i

objective ran into the corner of the village still held by the enemy.
Altogether thirty-six men were sent up to this block, of whom
twenty-eight became casualties.

The Germans also made many bombing raids at other points,
but each time were successfully repulsed. Later a barrage was
put down on the front line they were holding, and this not only
stopped further raids, but, judging fi'om their Very lights,
drove them out of a strong point where they were making them-
selves a nuisance. So ended the attack for that day, and, as
the north-west corner of the village must still be taken before
we could push forward to our final objective — Schwaben Redoubt
— it was decided to bring in the Bedfordshires.

The whole area over which the day's fighting had taken place
was of e.xtraordinary difficulty. The ground had probably been
more torn up by shells than any other part of France at that
time, and the enemy had a very strong and intricate system
of defence, machine guns covering and re-covering every j'ard
of the way. In addition, there were great numbers of unknown
and unsuspected dug-outs and trenches sheltering men, machine
guns, and minenwerfer. Except for the ruins of the Chateau,
'there were no landmarks, and it was most difficult to locate and
identify points and positions. The numerous craters, a vast
number of which held snipers or machine guns, had to be sys-
tematically " mopped up," and the early loss of nearly all officers
made organization and control a difficult problem. The fight
became one of individual initiative and courage, but all ranks
rose splendidly to the occasion.

It was now the turn of the 7th Bedfordshire Regiment, who
had been in reserve all day. A ticklish problem confronted all
concerned — the withdrawal of the three weary and battered
battalions who lay before the last stronghold of the Germans
in the corner of the village, and their relief by the fresh battalion.
It was about midnight when definite orders reached the Bed-
fordshire company commanders, and in a pitch-dark night,
lighted by the bursting of shells, amid terrific artillery fire,
they worked their men up in little bodies, and at last had them
all in position. When dawn broke a new and fresh battalion
faced the Germans, instead of the three spent battalions who
had borne the brunt of the previous day's attack. " Only a
well-trained and high-spirited battalion such as the 7th Bedford-
shire Regiment can accomplish such a feat, and be ready for a
day's fighting the same morning," was General Maxse's com-
ment.

In the meantime Colonel Price, of the Bedfordshire Regiment,
had left Brigade headquarters shortly after midnight with plans
for the attack that was to complete the ta.sk of clearing the
village.

On two companies of the Bedfordshire Regiment, under
Captain (now Major) L. H. Keep, fell the honour of being selected

62

for this final attack. They were got into position by 5.45 a.m.
in the dark, over ground pitted by shell-holes, by Captain
Johnston and Lieutenant Sulman, of the Fusiliers. Their orders
were to storm the area at 6 a.m. in one rush, and to clear it with
the bayonet.

A stiff resistance was encountered. Steady progress was made
on the left, in spite of machine guns, snipers, and standing patrols
in shell-holes. But the right company was held up soon after
the start, and it was here that 2nd-Lieutenant Adlam, command-
ing the right-hand platoon, won the Victoria Cross.

His platoon was held up by heavy rifle and machine-gun fire
from several strong points. Realizing that time was all im-
portant to success, he dashed across the open under fire, collect-
ing his men from shell-holes for a combined rush. He also
gathered up a number of German bombs, and with them started
a whirlwind attack on the enemy. He was slightly wounded
in the leg, but continued throwing from a kneeling position,
and, in spite of this handicap, outthrew the Germans. Then,
seizing an opportunity, he led in his platoon, and killed or cap-
tured all who opposed him. He continued at the head of his
men that day and the next, until again wounded.

The assault was completely successful. Captain Keep's little
force seized and held the last corner of the ruins, and in less
than twenty-four hours from zero on the 26th the whole of
Thiepval was ours. In this last operation seventy prisoners
were taken from dug-outs, and over eighty German dead were
counted.

In the capture of Thiepval the Brigade lost ly officers and
176 men killed, and 28 officers and 563 men wounded. In addi-
tion 198 men were reported missing. The 6th Northampton-
shire Regiment lost their commanding officer. Colonel G. E.
Ripley ; but the 12th Middlesex Regiment had the heaviest
casualties in the whole Division, with 10 officers (including
Majors Scarborough and Whinney) and 60 men killed, and 8
officers and 233 men wounded. The German losses were much
higher. Four officers and 606 other ranks surrendered to the
Division, and their killed and wounded were believed to exceed
3,000.

" I am convinced," wrote Sir Ivor Maxse, " that if the com-
plete story is ever written of what our men accomplished in
the way of hand-to-hand encounters, from the outbreak of the
battle until Thiepval and Schwaben were captured, their achiev-
ments will bear comparison with any similar feat of arms in
this war."

The capture of Schwaben Redoubt must be reserved for another
chapter.

Mention has already been made of some of the individual
acts of gallantry that marked the capture of Thiepval. In such
a day and night of hand-to-hand fighting the full record would

63

be almost a nominal roll of the assaulting battalions, and to
make any selection is an ungrateful task. But the following
selection from official accounts of deeds for which medals were
awarded, though incomplete, is of interest.

The Fusiliers will not forget how their doctor, Captain (now
Major) J. C. Sale, R.A.M.C., worked for them that day. He was
awarded the M.C. in the following circumstances : —

" When, owing to shortage of stretcher-bearers, it became
difficult to convey the wounded to dug-outs, he repeatedly
carried them in on his back under very heavy shell, rifle, and
machine-gun fire. In the course of his work he was twice
flung down and half stunned by the concussion of heavy shells
bursting close to him, but he continued his magnificent work
undeterred, affording the finest possible example to all con-
cerned, and even remained in Thiepval for some hours after his
battalion had been relieved."

Three other M.Cs. were awarded to Fusilier officers, as
follows : —

Captain W. H. H. Johnston " led his company with great
bravery, and later, when his CO. was wounded, took command
of his battalion. With entire disregard of his own safety, he
was indefatigable in organizing the defence of the captured
position."

Lieutenant (now Lieutenant-Colonel) A. E. Sulman : " His
coolness, resource, and courage were very noticeable through-
out the battle, especially during the night of abth-ayth, in the
very difficult operation of organizing, consolidating, and defend-
ing the hne gained."

2nd-Lieutenant J. B. Hunt " led his platoon with the greatest
skill, and organized and carried out successful bombing attacks
on strong points."

Of good bombing work done by N.C.Os. and men some account
has already been given. The Lewis gunners, signallers, and
others showed no less initiative and gallantry. The following
were among the recipients of the M.M. : —

Private G. Norton : " After his leaders were killed he fought
his Lewis gun with exceptional ability and daring. In spite
of a worrying fire from a hostile machine gun, he chose his
positions so skilfully that he accounted for nearly fifty Germans,
firing from the shoulder with his gun resting on the back of
another man."

Lance-Corporal F. W. Neal " frequently signalled messages
from exposed positions with the greatest courage."

Lance-Corporal R. Lambe " took charge of a section of
stretcher-bearers on his own initiative, and showed untiring
energy and complete fearlessness in attending the wounded,
often under the heaviest fire."

64

Sergeant J. W. Fryer " displayed the greatest coolness and
energy. When sent back to battalion headquarters to report
on the situation, he passed boldly through heavy machine-gun
and artillery fire, and accomplished his message with great
success."

Private G. Morgan : " The supply of pigeons having run
short, he hurried back through a heavy barrage, and succeeded
in bringing up others. He also distinguished him.self during
the fighting on July ist, when he laid cable under heavy fire,
and single-handed attacked and captured three Germans."

In the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment a M.C. was awarded
to 2nd-Lieutenant F. D. S. Walker. " As Intelhgence Officer
he displayed the greatest bravery and resource. His services
as a guide under heavy fire were beyond praise and of the utmost
value."

Sergeants J. W. Partridge and E. C. Pullen both won the
D.C.M. for the courage and efficiency with which they led their
companies when all officers were casualties.

Among those in the same battalion who received the M.M.
were : —

Sergeant W. L. Miles, who "handled his Lewis gun with the
greatest skill and bravery. It was greatly due to his untiring
efforts that the front line were enabled to consolidate their
position."

Sergeant W. T. Scriven, Lance-Corporal F. Shipton, and
Private J. Walsh, " formed a bombing party which drove the
enemy out of a communication trench which ran into our front
line. This post had been preventing consolidation of the line
in the vicinity for two hours, and it was not until the enemy had
been driven out that a dangerous gap in the line could be filled.
These men afterwards formed a block in the trench in this
advanced position, which they held during the remainder of
the night."

Lance-Corporal A. F. Hill " rendered most valuable assist-
ance in carrying water and ammunition to a forward dump
through a heavy barrage almost continuously for thirty hours.
He also helped to clear a German dug-out, and assisted in the
capture of fifteen prisoners."

Sergeant G. Bury " rendered the greatest assistance to his
officer in collecting stragglers, and in getting a complete line
consolidated. All through the night he visited covering parties
under heavy fire in front of th-a line, and showed the greatest
bravery throughout the entire action."

Private J. F. Norris " worked his Lewis gun with great
bravery and coolness on our exposed left flank."

Sergeant J. Evans " as medical orderly displayed exceptional
bravery under very heavy shell fire. He worked day and

65

night attending to the wounded in the most dangerous
localities."

Sergeant T. W. Jones " as a signal sergeant did excellent
work in maintaining communication by lamp for over six hours
from the parapet of a trench which was perpetually enfiladed
by severe artillery fire."

Company Sergeant-Major A. W. Woolsey was awarded the
D.C.M. " By his fearless conduct and total disregard of
personal danger, he rallied and inspired confidence in his men
in very difficult circumstances, when a large number of officers
had become casualties."

Among the awards in the 12th Middlesex Regiment was a
D.C.M. to Company Sergeant-Major J. Burrows. " When all
but one of his company officers had become casualties, he
showed conspicuous power of organization and leadership, and
by his coolness ajid capable handling of difficult situations
inspired confidence in all ranks."

Among those in the same battalion, awarded the M.M. were : —
Sergeant j. Pilgrim, of whom Colonel Maxwell wrote : " When
the three officers on battalion headquarters and the Regimental
Sergeant-Major were killed, he acted as my ' staff,' and was
invaluable. He is perfectly cool under fire, and I was able to
send him first to report on one flank and then on another, know-
ing that 1 could rely on his information."

Sergeant S. Insley " was in command of the Lewis guns.
Wounded in the face early in the attack, he nevertheless remained
with his guns, and by his careful observation placed them in
such positions that they kept down the fire of snipers from several
points, and also from a bombing post in the vicinity."

Lance-Corporals D. Driscoll and H. Cox and Private T. Fair-
weather " showed great bravery and resource in attacking and
clearing a German bombing and snipers' post, and afterwards
in holding it themselves until reinforcements were brought up."
Sergeant A. H. Ready " assisted in the defence of the left of
the line, which was in the air, and worked his Lewis gun with
great steadiness, frequently leaving cover to search for more
ammunition."

Lance-Corporal H. Perry " showed great and persistent gal-
lantry in initiating attacks on an enemy strong point on the
left flank. When a block was being made, he held back constant
enemy rushes, and as soon as it was blown down he constructed
another. He continued his efforts throughout the night."

Private J. Kelly, " finding his party, most of whom were
men of a recent draft, without officers and N.C.Os., immedi-
ately took charge and led them with conspicuous ability and
courage to the objective. There he at once, on his own initia-
tive, set to work to consolidate, and continued throughout the
night to inspire his men with his fine example."

66

Corporal C. Layton " collected bodies of men who were
leaderless, and pushed forward. When unable to advance with-
out a fresh supply of bombs, he went back under heavy fire to
obtain some. Recrossing the fire-swept zone, he rejoined the
men he had collected, and continued to command them until
next morning."

Eight stretcher-bearers, Lance-Corporal E. J. Cousins and
Privates H. Crawley, J. Hobbs, D. T. Delaney, W. F. Mansell,
G. R. A'Court, H. W. Rawlings, and S. A. Clary, also received
the M.M. " Owing to the nature of the ground, stretchers were
in many cases impossible, and most of the carrying was done
by these gallant men on their backs."

A D.C.M. also went to Private A. J. Knight, of the North-
amptonshire Regiment, attached to the 54th Machine Gun Com-
pany. " When the whole of his gun team had become casualties,
he, with one other man whom he got hold of to help, succeeded
in keeping his gun in action under very heavy shell fire through-
out the night of 26th-2 7th. Although isolated from his own
infantry, he held his position against all attacks until found
and relieved next morning."

Another machine gunner, Sergeant J. Templeton, was awarded
the M.M. " His officer having become a casualty, he commanded
his section most ably. After placing his guns in position in the
strong points for which they were detailed, he took charge of
a platoon of infantry whose officer had been killed, and arranged
the consolidation of the position won."

Corporal A. Butterfield, of the Middlesex Regiment, attached
to the 54th Trench Mortar Battery, also won the M.M. " He
was in charge of a Stokes gun, which he handled with marked
ability and complete disregard of danger under heavy shell
fire."

Awards to the Bedfordshire Regiment will be more con-
veniently dealt with in the next chapter, when the battalion's
share in the next stage of the proceedings, the capture of
Schwaben Redoubt, is described.

One incident comes to mind in which Bedfordshire men
played a part while the battalion was awaiting final orders to
take the Redoubt.

Privates Baker and Catling worked round behind a large
German dug-out with many entrances, in advance of an outpost
hne. Finding an unguarded entrance, they went down, and
after a sharp fight in the dark compelled the surrender of thirty-
two fully-armed Germans. They urged them up the stairs
into the open. There the Germans, surprised and disgusted
to find that they had surrendered to two men, took up their
arms again and resumed the fight. After that one thing led to
another, and the result was that of the prisoners, only eighteen
reached the cage alive.

67

Lieutenant-General C. W. Jacobs, as commander of the Second
Corps, sent the following message while the Brigade was still
struggling for the last corner of the battered ruins : —

" Thiepval has withstood all attacks upon it for exactly two
years, and it is a great honour to your Division to have cap-
tured the whole of this strongly-fortified village at the first
attempt. Hearty congratulations to you all."

Sir Douglas Haig himself called on Sir Ivor Maxse on Septem-
ber 27th to congratulate the Division on its success.

f2

Chapter VII

SCHWABEN REDOUBT AND REGINA TRENCH

A LTHOUGH the heap of ruins and tangle of chalky trenches
■**• that had once been Thicpval was now ours, the position
could not be regarded as won, and it was very unlikely that it
could be held until the final objective, Schwaben Redoubt, was
taken.

This was the key to the whole position, overlooking the site
of the village from the higher ground some 600 or 700 yards
farther north.

The Royal Fusiliers, Northamptonshire and Middlesex Regi-
ments were out of it for the present, their losses in officers having
been so heavy that, although nominally in Divisional reserve,
ready for an emergency, they could not be used for an organized
attack. If the Brigade were to have the honour of helping to
complete the task it had so well begun, it was clearly the Bed-
fordshire Regiment's job.

The plan was to attack with the 53rd Brigade on the right,
and the 54th Brigade on the left. The i/5th West Yorkshire
Regiment, of the 49th Division, was placed at the disposal of
the 54th Brigade for this operation. The two fresh companies
of the Bedfordshire Regiment were to be deployed for the assault,
and of the two companies that had already been in action with
Captain Keep, one was to be in close support of the assaulting
companies, and the other was to " mop-up " dug-outs. Three
companies of the West Yorkshire Regiment were to support
the Bedfordshire Regiment, leaving the fourth company at the
disposal of Colonel Price as his battalion reserve.

Zero hour was i p.m. on September 28th, and the forming up
by midday was a difficult operation, as the jumping-off trenches,
on the north of the village, were in full view of the enemy, and
the light was very good. The ground had been .so battered
about, and every landmark so reduced to mud and ruin, that
map references did not count, and all that was clear was our
front trench and some uncut wire on the left. The Redoubt
was nothing but a heap of mud and shell-holes on the crest.

About two hours before zero a German map, captured the
previous day in Thiepval, reached Brigade headquarters. This
showed the positions of several German machine guns. This
information was at once sent to the artillery and the assaulting
battalion, and reached them just in time to be of service.

However, the men were got into position, and as soon as our
barrage came down the front wave of the Bedfordshire Regiment
was off. The barrage appeared very effective, and little fire

68

eg

was met with until the Hfts occurred. The German hnes were
a hell of bursting shells, and it seemed impossible that men
could live there and fight. Keeping closely behind our barrage
— though how to distinguish it from the stuff the German guns
were putting over was a puzzle — our waves made good progress
until a communication trench known as Market Trench, run-
ning from the original German front line to the Redoubt, was
reached. This was a little less than half-way to the objective.
Here the right platoon of the Bedfordshire Regiment came under
heavy machine-gun fire, and was completely knocked out.

The rest of the Bedfordshire waves also suffered from machine-
gun fire, but succeeded in rushing a number of strong points,
and getting farther forward, till they fronted the west side of
the Redoubt at a distance of about 250 yards. A machine gun
that was giving them much trouble on their left was knocked
out by artillery, in response to an urgent telephone message.

The reader must remember that our attack was being pushed
along the original German front line, for we were fighting north-
ward along trenches facing west, just as the Fusiliers had to
do in the attack on Thiepval. The Redoubt was not immedi-
ately to our front — that is to say, we were attacking down a
football field in which the goal, instead of being in the centre
of the line at the far end, was actually rather towards the right-
hand corner.

On the line now reached our front was necessarily rather
extended, and the West Yorkshire Regiment was put in with
orders to push towards the Redoubt, and so fill the gap that was
api)earing between the Bedfordshire Regiment and the 53rd
Brigade on their right. The latter Brigade was now tackling
the sc:)uthern part of the Redoubt.

By 1.30 p.m. the Bedfordshire Regiment had seized a number
of points facing the north-west corner of the Redoubt, and the
attackers, led by Sergeant Shepherd, reached a spot on the crest
of the hill from which they could see Germans streaming north-
wards along trenches towards St. Pierre Divion. Our artillery
had good observation of this area, and shelled the retreating
Germans very effectively. By 2 p.m. Captain L. H. Keep sent
back a message by visual that he had reached the final objective.

But it was one thing to be on the objective, and quite another
to hold it, and the rest of the day was spent in bombing attacks
and hand-to-hand fighting, especially on the right, where our
line touched the Redoubt.

Much of this bombing was organized by the late Captain
D. S. H. Keep, and some good work was done under his direction.

Sergeant A. Wyatt was awarded the D.C.M. in this connec-
tion. " Volunteering to carry out a bombing raid [says the
official account], he pushed his way along two enemy trenches
in face of heavy opposition, and established blocks in both.
He then went forward with two men and cleared the trench,

70

bringing back thirty-four prisoners from the dug-outs. Later,
after his officer had become a casualty, he organized the defence
of the position, and beat off repeated bombing attacks."

Private G. Goldhawk was also awarded the D.C.M. " He
volunteered as observer during a bombing attack, and ran
along the parapet directing the throws of the bombers. When
the attack was held up by a machine gun, with complete dis-
regard of his own safety, he rushed the gun and put the whole
team out of action with bombs."

Meanwhile the 49th Division, on the west, behind our old
front line, had sent in a small party from the 146th Brigade,
who seized Pope's Nose (where the old German front line crosses
the Thiepval road), and actually wandered right across our
front, with occasional bombing diversions on the way, till they
reported to Captain Keep, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, at
the north-west corner of the Redoubt, and submitted an applica-
tion for a few more Germans to kill.

When night fell the position was rather obscure. The 53rd
Brigade on our right were in the sui)port line and dug-outs of
the south-west corner of the Redoubt, and the Bedfordshire
Regiment, with the West Yorkshire Regiment, who had rein-
forced them, held the more westerly trenches. But everything
was so confused that neither Brigade knew exactly what the
other was doing on the western face of the stronghold, and night
passed in bombing attacks, by which the Germans sought to
break what had become our outpost line.

The (juestion of consolidation had to be considered. Only
two officers were now left. Major L. H. Keep and his brother,
Captain D. S. H. Keep. With two Company Sergeant-Majors
who survived, C. Hall and R. M. Brand, they chose a Hne a
little to the rear of the line they had gained, and, with the
assistance of some sappers who had come up under Lieutenant
Knight, this line was made good and strong posts formed.

Both the Company Sergeant-Majors mentioned above received
the D.C.M. I hope there are still many hving who remember
how Company Sergeant-Major C. Hall's loud voice, heard even
above the din of shells and bombs and the clatter of machine
guns and rifles, rallied the men at a critical moment. Never
was a powerful voice so well used. His action was thus officially
described : —

" This warrant officer rallied the supporting troops who were
missing their direction, and by his stentorian voice directed
them on to their objective. Later he organized bombing and
working parties, and was of the greatest assistance to his com-
pany commander in the work of consolidating the position
gained. Just before the relief of the battalion he took com-
mand of the company, all officers having become casualties,
and carried out the relief with the greatest skill."

71

Company Sergeant-Major R. M. Brand also commanded his
company on that day, and received the D.C.M. " for c6nspicuous
courage, initiative, and powers of leadership " [to quote again
from official sources]. " He took command of his company
when all his officers had become casualties, and very ably
carried out the consolidation of the position gained."

Mention has already been made of 2nd-Lieutenant Adlam,
who was awarded the V.C. at Thiepval. He did equally good
work in the second fight, the account of the action for which
he received the decoration, after describing his work in Thiepval,
already referred to, adding : —

" He again displayed the highest courage in the attack on
Schwaben Redoubt. Though again wounded, this time in the
right arm, so that he could no longer throw bombs himself, he
continued to lead his men with utter contempt of danger till
he was ordered to the rear. There is no doubt that this officer,
not only by his personal bravery and magnificent example,
but also by his prompt and skilful handling of the tactical
situation, was largely responsible for the success of the very
important minor operation on the morning of the 27th, and
materially assisted in the capture of Schwaben Redoubt."

A D.C.M. also went to Lance-Corporal A. W. Harris. " Hear-
ing reinforcements were urgently required, he proceeded on
his own initiative to the front line with his Lewis gun, and from
an exposed position under heavy fire repulsed repeated counter-
attacks. Later he rallied a party of another regiment who
were being driven out of a post, and succeeded in holding the
post against successive attacks."

On the 29th the 55th Brigade, which had hitherto been in
reserve, took over the task which had been so well begun, and
the Bedfordshires, badly battered, but with their tails well up,
were relieved by the 7th West Kents.

The Bedfordshires had now been fighting since they were
brought into the line at midnight 26th-2 7th at a critical moment.

In their first task, the assault of the last corner of Thiepval,
they had lost i officer and 43 other ranks killed, and 4 officers
and 50 other ranks wounded. Since then they had lost 4
officers and 15 other ranks killed in front of Schwaben Redoubt,
and 6 officers and 97 other ranks wounded. Clearly they must
be withdrawn for reinforcements.

The taking of the last corner of Thiepval and the defences
of Schwaben Redoubt by the Bedfordshire Regiment were
essentially " soldiers' battles " — as indeed were so many other
actions of a war which made an exceptional call on individual
courage a.nd initiative — and all did so well, and so many were
selected for special awards, it has been difficult to make a selec-
tion, but the foregoing must serve.

From the Field Ambulance point of view, the Thiepval and
Schwaben Redoubt operations were the hottest of the whole

Somme fighting, and the clearing of casualties was carried out
with the greatest difficulty, alternative routes of evacuation
often having to be found to avoid the intense and searching
shell fire.

There for the first time a derelict tank was used as a shelter.
However, the attention it received from German gunners made
it necessary to discontinue its use as a dressing-post in rather
quick time, and in future stretcher-bearers generally gave tanks
a wide berth.

A story told by a stretcher-bearer well illustrates the ruin
and desolation of this area. One of our bearer posts was on
the site of Thiepval Chateau (which was frequently mentioned
in the previous chapter). An officer came up and asked a bearer
where the Chateau was. " Sorry, sir, you're standing on it,"
was the reply.

After the Thiepval and Schwaben Redoubt operations, the
Brigade had about three weeks out of the line, chiefly in the
RibeaUcourt area, where training was carried on. On Octo-
ber nth Sir Douglas Haig paid an informal visit, and saw the
battalions at work. A move was afterwards made to Albert,
and by October 23rd the Brigade was again in the line.

The battalions now found themselves in Regina Trench, near
Courcelette, about three miles north-west of Thiepval, with the
intention of taking part in an attack on Petit Miraumont,
which lay about two miles due north.

" For this attack," writes a Fusilier officer, " the as.saulting
battalions of^ the Brigade were to have been the Fusiliers and
the Bedfordshire Regiment.

" The weather was awful, and the mud beyond words. For-
tunately, the attack did not come ofif. If it had it must have
been a colossal failure. The first objective was, 1 believe,
1,700 yards away, and in that mud, and after going that dis-
tance, the men would have been dead-beat.

" The Brigade was to go on to the Ancre, cross the river,
which was in flood and about 300 yards wide, and hold the cross-
ings for the 53rd Brigade to go through. It was seriously sug-
gested that trees might be felled across the Ancre, and the men
might cross on them. The only implements for felling trees
were bayonets, entrenching tools, and jack-knives !

" We went into the line three or four times with the idea of
attacking at dawn on the second ntorning, but each time it
was postponed two or three or four days, and we came out
again to Albert. It rained nearly every day ; the trenches had
no duck-boards, and were knee-deep in mud. There was one
small dug-out which served as two company headquarters, and
the trench was continuously enfiladed by shell fire from Loupart
Wood. The parapet was always falling in.

" Each time we went in for the attack the men were served
out with a haversack ration of potted-meat sandwiches and a

73

hard-boiled egg. Major Meyricke, on the telephone from
battalion headquarters, used to inform the company commanders
that the attack had been postponed again by the words, ' You
may eat your sandwiches ! '--for if the attack was off, they
could eat them whenever they liked, if they had not already
done so.

" The men were soaked to the skin with liquid mud for days
on end, and after ration-carrying fatigues were dead-beat. It
was a long carry, and the mud was appaUing. On relief the
men sometimes did not get back to Albert till 6 a.m., and had
no opportunity of getting properly dry before they went in the
line again. The sick rate in the battalions at this time was the
worst I have ever known. One morning each battalion in the
Brigade had over 150 sick, and one had nearly 250. Eventually
the attack was postponed till the New Year, and we were relieved
by the Canadians."

It was on November 17th that the Brigade was relieved in
the line by the nth Canadian Brigade, Brigade headquarters
moving to billets in Albert, and all battalions to huts south-
west of Ovilliers.

The return to the same area in the spring of the following
year, and the operations in which Petit Miraumont was at last
taken, are dealt with in the next chapter.

The uncomfortable nature of life in Regina Trench is well
illustrated by the olificial accounts of actions for which Military
Medals were awarded. I make the following extracts : —

Corporal R. W. Dixon (Fusiliers) : " On one occasion a shell
buried two of his platoon, and his prompt action and courage
in an exposed position under heavy bombardment resulted in
the extrication of both."

Private G. E. Gough (Bedfordshire Regiment) : " During ex-
tremely heavy shelling of Regina Trench he remained on duty
as signaller in an exposed pait of the trench without cover of
any kind. Communication with battalion headquarters was
repeatedly broken, but on every occasion he went out through
the barrage and repaired the wire."

Corporal B. Mulrien (Bedfordshire Regiment) : " Organized
a party and dug out four men who had been buried in the trench
by a shell. The party was heavily shelled all the time."

Private A. Thompson (Bedfordshire Regiment) : " As stretcher-
bearer he showed great devotion to duty, attending to cases
under very dangerous and trying circumstances. Having
attended to all casualties in his company, he volunteered to
go over the open country to another company to assist them,
and it was only by direct order of his officer that he did not go."

Corporal W. Dean (Bedfordshire Regiment) : " When not on
duty came out of his dug-out during an intense bombardment,
and walked from sentry-post to sentry-post, cheering up the
men. He was severely wounded, having an arm practically

74

blown off, but after being attended to by a stretcher-bearer
continued to encourage the men until sent back to the dressing-
station by his officer."

Some good patrol work by the 6th Northamptonshire Regi-
ment attracted notice during this period. 2nd-Lieutenant P. H.
Higham of that battalion was awarded the M.C. in the following
circumstances': —

" During the night of November 7th, 1916, accompanied by
one lance-corporal and one man, he carried out a difficult and
dangerous reconnaissance with the greatest bravery and effi-
ciency. After crossing 900 yards of No Man's Land he dis-
covered an enemy strong point. In spite of this he entered the
trench, which he reconnoitred for a distance of 409 yards. The
information which he brought back was of great value in sub-
sequent operations. During the attack on Thiepval this officer
went forward with one lance-corporal and two men to recon-
noitre the position for a dump. On arriving there a dug-out
containing twenty Germans was found. He shot one, captured
the remainder, and formed his dump in their dug-out."

2nd-Lieutenants A. C. Bates and D. I. Gotch, who had done
good work at Thiepval, won the M.C. during their tour of duty
in Regina Trench. Both were buried several times by shells
between October 25th and 29th, but carried on with cheerful-
ness and courage, which set a fine example to all ranks.

The M.M. was awarded to Sergeant B. Aldham, of the same
battalion. " He was in charge of a patrol sent out to recon-
noitre an enemy strong point, and brought back valuable in-
formation. Before proceeding on his patrol he made a pre-
liminary reconnaissance by himself on his own initiative. On
returning he volunteered to take a party out to capture the
strong point."

Sergeant J. Corstorphine and Privates G. Rivett and D. Pen-
fold, of the 54th Machine Gun Company, were also awarded the
M.M. during this period for digging out buried comrades under
fire.

Chapter VIII

BOOM RAVINE

ITn'ELCOME days of rest — almost " peace-time soldiering/' as
"• we amateurs interpreted the phrase — came to the Brigade
at the end of 191 6 and in the early days of 1917.

At the end of November the Brigade marched down to the
St. Kiquicr area, netir Abbeville, and training was carried on
throughout December. On December 14th a move was made
to the Canchy area, a few miles farther west, and there Christ-
mas and New Year's Day were spent. In between training
there was plenty of recreation, boxing competitions and foot-
ball matches being got up ; and a Brigade pierrot troop, fore-
runner of the " Vin Blongs," so well known at a later date,
was organized to visit Canchy, Marcheville, and Doinvaast, where
the units were billeted. A Brigade cross-country run was
lirought off on January 6th, and won by Sergeant Bradbury,
of the Northamptonshire Regiment.

The Brigade was specially selected to carry out a demon-
stration attack on the lines of the Somme offensive of July ist,
19 1 6, on the St. Riquier training area. This took place on
December 27th, before the Army Commander and representa-
tives from all Divisions in the Fifth Army, and a good show was
put up.

On January 9th a happy association of over two years' stand-
ing was broken up, and Sir Ivor INIaxse, who trained and brought
the Division over to France, coming over to Brigade head-
(juarters to say good-bye on his appointment to command the
1 8th Corps. There was no formal parade, but each battalion
was represented by the officers who had the longest service with
the Brigade and Division. At the same time Sir Ivor presented
a number of decorations.

On January nth the Brigade began its march to the forward
area, and after halting at Domquer, Fienvillers, and Rubempre,
covered the rest of the journey by 'bus. On the 17th we were
holding the line south-east of Grandcourt, only about three
miles from Thiepval, that place of proud memories for the
Brigade.

This was, it will be remembered, the very sector held by the
Brigade in October, 19 16, and Regina and Desire Trenches,
with Miraumont in front, were familiar spots.

Ten days were spent in the line, and though nothing of im-
portance occurred, they were days and nights to remember,
for there was a continual hard frost, and one night the tempera-

75

76

ture fell below zero. Apart from discomfort, this introduced
a new problem into trench warfare, ff a trench is deep enough
to afford cover, the presence even of several feet of water does
not affect its safety. But if that water freezes hard and there
are only about eighteen inches of cover between the surface of
the ice and the top of the parapet, the protection afforded is
extremely slight.

This was the sort of thing that happened in certain parts of
the line. The Brigade was ever composed of cheerful philoso-
phers, and the discovery that tin hats could be used for the
Scottish game of curling in the frozen trenches did much to
relieve the monotony. " C " Company of the Bedfordshire
Regiment was a very good team, recalls an officer who is accus-
tomed to take a sporting view of life, and was asked how the
war stood at that date. But the Ciermans were poor sportsmen,
They would watch the game till they got bored, and then — ■
but hang it all, boredom is no excuse ! — they would stop further
sport with a few whizzbangs. It will take them a long time to
live down that bad sportsmanship, which was fiercely resented
by officers and men, who were prepared to accept the ordinary
business of " straffing " as all a part of the day's work.

Reliefs were carried out with some difficulty. Duck-boards,
which one used to look upon as the only causeway through
engulfing seas of mud, now became skating rinks, and climbing
the greasy pole is a drawing-room game compared with single-
filing down a narrow icy wooden track, near an enemy ready to
shoot at sound. Only by wrapping their boots in sandbags
could the men keep their feet.

After this short tour in the trenches, the Brigade went back
to the St. Martinsart area, indulging in working parties and
in rehearsals of the forthcoming attack.

On February gth they went into the line again for two days,
and had a rather lively time, the artillery of both sides being
active. On the night of the loth " A " Company of the Fusiliers
(holding the right sector from the west of Miraumont Road to
Sixteen Road) rushed and captured a German strong point.
The Germans then concentrated machine-gun and trench-
mortar fire on the little garrison. Both the officers and nearly
all the N.C.Os. became casualties, and in a strong counter-
attack the enemy regained the position. Lieutenant Sampson
was killed in this affair.

The Brigade had another three days out of the line for re-
hearsals, and on the night of February 1 5th- 1 6th took over
the battle front for the operations of the 17th. These were
part of a big attack on both banks of the Ancre, to seize the high
ground giving observation over the upper Ancre Valley.

We were on the south of the Ancre, below Miraumont, and
had to attack from in front of Desire Trench due north towards
South Miraumont Trench, first across Grandcourt Trench, and

77

then across the deep sunken road known as Boom Ravine,
which, so far as this Brigade is concerned, gives its name to
the action.

Tlie assaulting battaUons were the Northamptonshires (right)
and FusiHers (left). The Middlesex Regiment was in support,
and the Bedfordshire Regiment in reserve. The Suffolk Regi-
ment (53rd Brigade) were on our loft, and the 2nd Division
on our right.

Just why the weather had such frequent pro-German moods
during the war is a question to be discussed in a more scientific
book than this. But the fact remains that the' hard frost,
which would have given us almost ideal ground to attack over,
broke on tlie niglit of the i6th, and most of our troubles were
due to the ajipalling mud which resulted from the untimely
thaw.

Our forming-up place was just in front of a depression known
as the Gully, and from the Gully a sunken road ran into Boom
Ravine. The junction of this sunken road with the Gully
was known as " Oxford t^ircus," and the familiar name may
enable me to make the general lie of the land clear to those
who know their London.

Assuming that, instead of being in " Oxford Circus " facing
ISfiraumont (a most unhealthy spot in the darkness of the early
hours of February 17th), you had the far better luck to be in
the real Oxford Circus in London, facing towards Queen's Hall,
our forming-up lines would lie to your right and left along
Oxford Street. Going towards Queen's Hall and the Langham
Hotel, you would first cross the enemy's wire and Grandcourt
Trench, and Boom Ravine would be represented by streets
running right and left near the church. Beyond, roughly half-
right, would be South Miraumont. Now fill Oxford Circus,
Oxford Street, and every step that you have to take if you are
going to walk to the church, with shell-holes and churned-up
ground, knee deep in mud, and call down from heaven deadly
hail of shrapnel and high explosive, with rifle and machine-gun
fire to sweep every yard of your journey, and you have a fair
idea of the conditions.

On the night of the i6th the forming-up lines were taped
and our wire cut, in spite of the darkness and some pretty
heavy shelling by the enemy. The tapes were from 100 to
200 yards in front of the Gully.

Orders were for all troops to be in position by 4.45 a.m. on
the 17th. There were two ways up to the forming-up place,
one along the duck-boards (as one might go up Regent Street
to Oxford Circus) and one up Cornwall Trench, the only com-
munication trench. Both became very congested, especially
the trench, and the scene in the Gully. was like a London crowd
coming out of a theatre.

78

Just before 4.30 a.m. the enemy sent up yellow and green
lights, and a heavy barrage opened at once on the (iully and the
ground immediately to the north. It was discovered afterwards
from captured German officers that they had learned full details
of the proposed attack, and knew the approximate hour at
which it was to be launched.

Both the assaulting battalions suffered heavily in this bom-
bardment, especially the Fusiliers. Crowded together in the
Gully and " Oxford Circus," the men had no shelter. It was
in the pitchy dark hours before dawn, lain was falling, the
ground was deep in slippery mud, and there were no trenches
to guide to the forming-up line. One platoon of the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment was almost entirely wiped out as it was led
to the forming-up place ; and of the total Fusilier casualties
in the whole of the operation, one-half were suffered in the
Gully and thereabouts. That the battalions were formed up
at all, in this dark mouth of hell, was due very largely to their
gallant and skilful handling by officers and N.C.Os., and to
the courage and discipline of the men themselves, many of
whom lay in the mud for hours under heavy shell fire, awaiting
the order to go over the top. That, after the terrible ordeal
before dawn, they fought their way forward so well as to snatch
a very large measure of success out of what might so nearly
have been utter disaster speaks volumes for their doggedness
and dash.

Some splendid work was done by 2nd-Lieutenants Boulton
and Higham and Company Sergeant-Major Cuthbert, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, in getting their men into position.
Of the officers of two Fusilier companies in the front line (one
on each side of the road leading up to the Ravine), only two —
Captain Morton of " A," and Captain CoUis Sandes of " B " — •
were unwounded at zero hour.

At 5.45 a.m. our barrage opened, and the assaulting battalions
went forward close up to it towards the first objective. Before
he had gone 200 yards. Captain Collis Sandes had a bullet through
the neck, and Captain Morton had half his foot taken off by a
shell a little farther on. So in the darkness and drizzling rain,
over the slippery ground all cut up by constant bombardment,
through shell fire and the thresh of machine-gun fire and sniping,
the waves went on. The Trench Mortar Battery did good work,
getting forward with the assaulting line, though heavily burdened
with guns and ammunition, and losing heavily. The section
of the 54th Machine Gun Company attached to the assaulting
battalions also went forward well. As soon as our barrage
opened, the enemy sent up showers of spray lights, and some
green, and in answer to this appeal his guns put down a barrage
on our front. It was, however, very short-lived, and it .seemed
that our counter-battery work was very good.

79

On arriving before Grandcourt Trench it was found that
much of the wire was still uncut, and the delay in finding the
gaps gave the enemy time to get away and take up fresh posi-
tions beyond the trench and on both sides of Boom Ravine.
The movement along the front of the wire to find gaps also
led to some loss of direction and mixing up of companies. It
must be remembered that it was still dark. Not till 6.5 a.m.
was there light enough to see more than a few yards. On the
whole, the wire was better cut in front of the Fusiliers than in
front of the Northamptonshire Regiment. In the case of the
latter, the left and centre companies were held up by rifle and
machine-gun fire at this point so long as to loose the barrage.

Meanwhile the Fusiliers had been able to get forward, and
Boom Ftavine was reached at last. Every officer was now a
casualty, and the four companies were badly mixed up ; but
Company Sergeant-Major Fitterer, of " B " Company, although
he had a bullet through the thigh, reorganized the men and
led them forward. He was well assisted in this by Sergeants
Choate (" A " Company), Berry (" C " Company), and Hazell
(" D " Company).

At the Ravine the Fusiliers took over 100 prisoners, and these
were at once pressed into service by Major J. C. Sale, D.S.O.,
then regimental medical oflicer, as stretcher-bearers.

The right company of the Northamptonshire Regiment was
also able to get forward from Grandcourt Trench with the
barrage, according to time-table, but the left and centre com-
panies were delayed, thus leaving a gap between the left of the
Northamptonshire Regiment and the right of the Fusiliers.

The Fusiliers, so splendidly rallied and led by Company Ser-
geant-Major Fitterer, and the right company of the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment, advanced from the Ravine soon after
6.30 a.m., leaving men of the Middlesex Regiment, who had
been sent over as " moppers-up," to carry out their good work
among the dug-outs. But there had been so much delay,
owing to the mixing up of companies, the heavy casualties
among officers, and the great difficulty of crossing this deep
sunken road, that the barrage was lost. Accordingly, when
they arrived before South Miraumont Trench, they were not
only held up by uncut wire, but saw their barrage far ahead
and the (Germans lining the trench, and could do nothing but
drop into shell-holes. A few of the Northamptonshire Regiment,
under Lieutenant T. R. Price, D.S.O., the adjutant, who had
now come up, and 2nd-Lieutenant Higham, M.C., did actually
succeed in entering the trench, but there could be no hope of
staying there, with every other part of our line held up.

Soon after this, about 8.30 a.m., a strong German counter-
attack was delivered from Petit Miraumont. From captured
German orders and statements by prisoners, it appears that
these were specially trained counter-attack troops, brought up

8o

as soon as news of our intended attack reached them the pre-
vious night. They consisted largely of marksmen and machine
gunners. Their fire was extremely accurate, while we were in
poor plight, most of our rifles and Lewis guns t)eing clogged,
owing to the lying in mud in the dark before the attack, and the
bad ground that had to be covered in tlie advance.

Whatever the exact cause, the Briti.sh line, seeing no appre-
ciable effect produced by their fire on the advancing Germans,
began to fall back. Lieutenant Price now handled the North-
amptonshire Regiment with the greatest skill and gallantry.
He moved to and fro along the line under heav-y (ire, steadying
the retirement, and then, seeing that our right was in the air,
swung the little body of survivors to form a defensive flank on
the West Miraumont Road. Lieutenant-Colonel R. J. F. Mcy-
ricks, of the nth Fusiliers, who had taken over command of
the Northamptonshire Regiment as recently as February 3rd,
was killed while going forward from the Ravine with Lieutenant
Price.

In the meantime Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Carr, D.S.O.
commanding the Fusiliers, and Captain G. F. J. Cumberlege,
D.S.O. , his adjutant, had come up and got hold of the Fu.siliers,
together with remnants of other battalions from the Brigade
on our left, and steadied that part of the line. Later this left
fiank was taken over by Lieutenant C. F. Chute, Brigade Sig-
nalling Officer, and Lieutenant Pearcy, Fusiliers Signalling
Officer.

The line was now held until the afternoon, when, reinforced
by two companies of the Middlesex Regiment, all that was left
of the two assaulting battalions again moved forward almost to
the crest of the spur overlooking South Miraumont Trench, and
occupied a series of rifle and machine-gun posts. This line was
handed over to the 8th East Surrey Regiment (55th Brigade)
on the evening of the i8th.

Our casualties were heavy, the Brigade losing in all 14 officers
killed, 25 wounded, and 2 missing. Of other ranks, 115 were
killed, 423 wounded, and 161 missing.

Mention has already been made of the employment of German
prisoners as stretcher-bearers. By keeping them constantly
at work, all the Brigade casualties were evacuated within a few
hours, though it was a very long carry over heavy ground.
The difficulties that the medical service had to grapple with
that day were indeed very great. Stretcher cases were carried
2,400 yards from regimental aid-posts in Boom Ravine to tram-
head at Hessian Trench, then pushed along the tram-line 2,300
yards to the advanced dressing-station. The carry was uphill
all the way, under fire, and over ground all churned up by shells
and knee-deep in mud. In the opinion of the medical officers
of the Brigade it was the heaviest work the bearers have ever
had to perform.

LIEUT.-COLONEL A. E. PERCIVAL, D.S.O., M.C.,

Who Commanded the 7th (S.) Batt. Bedtordshire Regiment from January, 1918

to May, 1918 ; and 2nd Batt. Bedfordshire Regiment from May, 1918,

to March, 1919.

To face page 80.

In this attack all behaved with such courage in exceptionally
trying circumstances that to attempt any complete record of
individual gallantry would be to give a nominal roll of those
who went over in the darkness and mud of that grim February
dawn. In dealing with some outstanding cases one must take
the risk of omitting many equally deserving of mention.

It will be remembered that the Middlesex Regiment, as sup-
porting battalion, pushed two companies into the front line at
a critical moment when we were getting some pretty bad hammer-
ing on the spur before South Miraumont Trench. 2nd-Lieu-
tenant W. B. Godwin, of the Middlesex Regiment, did gallant
work at this point. With a few men he got about 200 yards
to the north-east of our objective, owing to a fog that had come
down. The enemy counter-attacked, and, though greatly out-
numbered, 2nd-Lieutenant Godwin and his men stood their
ground and fought till all but one were killed. This fine stand
was effective in breaking up a threatening counter-attack.
Unhappily, the gallant officer himself was killed. Lieutenant
V. D. Corbett was another Middlesex officer who did good work
in fixing and consolidating our final line of defence under heavy
rifle and shell fire. Acting Company Sergeant-Major Kerr of
the same battalion will also be remembered. All the officers
of his company having become casualties, he reorganized the
company, and directed the work of clearing dug-outs in the
Ravine until killed.

Mention has already been made of Lieutenant C. F. Chute,
R.E., Brigade Signal Officer. He had gone forward to the first
objective to establish telephone communication with a visual
station. While doing this he saw that the enemy counter-
attack on our right was driving back the line in some confusion,
owing to the loss of nearly all the officers. He at once went
forward, ralUed the men under heavy fire, checked the with-
drawal, and then got into communication with Brigade head-
quarters, giving such a timely and accurate report that steps
could be taken which resulted in the recapture of most important
high ground.

The signalhng officer of the Fusiliers, 2nd-Lieutenant G. S.
Pearcy. did equally gallant work. During the counter-attack
he rallied the men of his battalion, when all company officers
were casualties, and by his fine example under fire did much to
restore the situation. For a great part of the time he took
command of the remnants of his battalion in the front line.

While writing of the signals service one must say a word for
the good work done by the men. Pioneer Walter Jones, R.E.,
attached to Brigade headquarters, worked without rest for forty-
eight hours under constant shell fire, laying lines up to our
most forward troops and repairing breaks. The runners also
did excellent work, delivering messages under heavy fire. Pri-
vates F. C. Ross (Fusiliers), A. H. Philby (Bedfordshires), and

G

82

R. A. Young (Middlesex Regiment), all attached to Brigade
headquarters, attracted attention for devotion to duty. Private
S. G. Hazell, of the Fusiliers, also did fine work as a runner,
invariably carrying ammunition or Lewis gun drums forward on
his own initiative when taking a message, and very greatly
helping officers by his accurate observations and repejrts. Pri-
vates E. C. Bailey, H. A. Ashby, and T. H. ]3ryan, of the North-
amptonshire Regiment, did equally good work in keeping up
communication in their battalion.

Turning to the officers of the Fusiliers, the work of Captain
G. F. J. Cumberlege, then adjutant of the battalion, has
already been mentioned, and his action in rallying men of his
own and other battalions undoubtedly restored order and
enabled us to hold on to an important ridge at a very critical
moment. Nor would anyone present regard this record as com-
plete without a word about the work of Captain G. B. Morton,
whose courage and coolness did so much to form up his company
and get it forward, until he was seriously wounded, and Captain
(now Major) J. C. Sale, medical officer of the battalion, whose
care for the wounded under heavy fire was an inspiration to
all ranks. Lieutenant Bernard Ashmole, in temporary command
of his company, was wounded in the knee at an early stage,
but hobbled forward almost to the first objective till he collapsed
with a second wound.

The fine work of Company Sergeant-Major P. J. Fitterer has
already been dealt with. He was ably assisted by a number of
N.C.Os. of the battalion. There was Lance-Corporal G. Morgan,
who volunteered to take an important message when three
runners had already been killed or wounded in trying to get
this message through. He succeeded in his task, although
blown up on the way. Later he rallied a party of men of another
regiment who had started to retire, and kept them in position
for the rest of the day under heavy fire.

Lance-Corporal J. W. Butler was another prominent figure.
When all his company officers were casualties he took his Lewis
gun team forward and kept his gun in action when all the team
except one ammunition carrier had fallen, and when the line
was compelled to withdraw was the last to come in, bringing
back not only his own gun, but another which had been aban-
doned. Other good work with Lewis guns that attracted atten-
tion was that of Corporal C. -Franklin, Corporal C. J. Diamond,
Lance-Corporal W. G. Oliver, Lance-Corporal P. Salt, Private
A. N. Nellor, and Private J. Ball.

With all officers knocked out so early, it was essentially a day
for initiative and leadership on the part of N.C.Os. Sergeant
F. W. Hazell commanded his company with great coolness and
ability throughout the day. Corporal E. A. Hart organized
his company under heavy fire when there were no officers left.
Later he volunteered to take command of an advanced post.

83

and held it until relieved the following day. Platoons were
commanded and led by Sergeants H. Berry and B. Armstrong,
Private H. Thorns. Good work in tending and bringing in
the wounded under fire was done by Privates W. Whare and
E. W. Trott.

Turning to the Northamptonshire Regiment, it has already
been seen what an important part the work and example of
Lieutenant T. R. Price (then adjutant) played in saving a
critical situation. Nor will any who survived that day forget
the gallantry of Lieutenant C. G. Kemp, the medical officer,
whose cheerful and unceasing work, in spite of many casualties
to stretcher-bearers, got the battlefield cleared in such short
time.

As in the Fusiliers, so in the Northamptonshire Regiment, the
early loss of practically every officer threw a heavy responsibility
on the other ranks, and they rose splendidly to the occasion.
During the forming up of his company under fire Company
Sergeant-Major O. Cuthbert stood on top of a bank the whole
time, until the last man was in position, and his coolness did
much to steady the men in a very unpleasant situation. All
the officers of the company were casualties as soon as the com-
pany moved forward, and this warrant officer was shortly after-
wards wounded, but refused to go back until he had handed over
the company properly to the senior sergeant. Among the
N.C.Os. who showed courage and good leadership in carrying
on were Sergeants W. D. Toe, G. Quartermain, A. C. Gilbert,
S. Flanagan, Corporal W. R. Thompson, and Lance-Corporals
A. Lee, W. Wreford, and J. Hall.

At least two other individual efforts attracted notice. Private
Charles Chantrell was servant to the officer commanding the
leading wave. When this officer and most of the N.C.Os.
became casualties, before reaching the Ravine, he at once took
charge of the platoon, lead them against a number of the enemy,
whom he cleared out, reorganized in the Ravine, and proceeded
with the advance.

When Grandcourt Trench was reached, many Germans were
found lying out in front, apparently dead. It occurred to
Private J. W. Walsh to lift the cap from one of them. The
man at once jumped up and held up his hands. The rest of
the Germans who were also shamming dead were promptly
dealt with. A machine gun and a number of rifles were lying
by them, and but for Private Walsh's action the whole company
would have been shot in the back.

In the Middlesex battalion a great deal of excellent individual
work was also done when Boom Ravine was reached. 2nd-Lieu-
tenant R. Charlesworth was the only officer left in two com-
panies. Taking command, he carried out the work of dug-out
clearing with great energy and thoroughness, and organized
the consolidation in a very capable manner. In the same

G 2

work Company Sergeant-Major J. Warner also distinguished
himself.

Operations in front of South Miraumont Trench, when two
companies of the Middlesex Regiment had been moved up to
the front line, was marked by some fine examples of initiative.
When an enemy machine gun became a nuisance. Sergeant T.
Travers, although suffering from a painful wound, led a bombing
attack over the open, blew up the gun and some of the gunners,
and took the rest prisoners.

Privates H. S. Elliott and W. Taylor did similar good work.
At one time the advance was held up by about fifty of the enemy,
and by enfilade fire from a machine gun. Rushing forward
with their Lewis gun on their own initiative to a spot where they
got a better field of fire, they brought their gun into action with
such good effect that the enemy's machine gun was knocked out,
and the party of Germans were all killed, wounded, or taken
prisoners.

During a counter-attack a certain platoon engaged in con-
solidating Boom Ravine lost its officer and sergeant. Private
A. Humphries at once took command, reorganized the men,
and dug in, saving the situation at a critical moment.

In the case of one of the companies. Sergeant G. Rowe took
command when all the officers were casualties, took the men
forward to the objective, and continued in command till relieved
by an officer two days later.

Chapter IX

THE GERMAN RETREAT OF lyiy

'TpHE almost immediate result of the operation of which the
* Boom Ravine action formed a part was a tierman retirement
towards the prepared defensive positions already known as the
Hindenburg Line.

The Brigade had a short but welcome spell of rest and training
before taking part in the pursuit. Relieved in the line on
February i8th, the battalions were first in the Martinsart area,
and on March 2nd moved to the Thiepval area. Snow and rain,
road-making parties, inspections and practice attacks, were the
chief forms of gaiety.

On the 1 2th the Brigade relieved the 53rd in the line, in the
expectation of attacking the Loupart Line at an early date.
The units were disposed as follows : —

1 2th Middlesex Regiment — Right flank assaulting bat-
talion.

6th Northamptonshire Regiment — Right centre assaulting
battalion.

7th Bedfordshire Regiment — Left centre assaulting bat-
talion.

nth Royal I"'usiliers — Left Hank battalion, to form a left
defensive flank to the attack of the other three battalions.

Sections of the 54th Machine Gun Company were distributed
along the front and in reserve. The 54th Trench Mortar Battery
was held in reserve. Brigade headquarters were in a dug-out
on the West Miraumont road.

Owing to the darkness of the night, the bad state of the ground
after weeks of snow and rain, and the difficulty of taking over
a front which consisted of a line of strong points and posts,
the relief was not completed till 6 a.m. on the morning of
March 13th.

The Fusiliers on the left came in for a good deal of sniping
from Achiet-le-petit. Lieutenant Little, battalion sniping offi-
cer, was killed by a sniper. He was an artist, and designed
two Christmas cards for Christmas, 191 6. One in colours, for
the Fusiliers, represented a Fusilier taking part in the July attack
on the Somme ; the other, for the Brigade, was a pen-and-ink
sketch of the square at Albert, showing the church with the lean-
ing figure of the Virgin and the square crammed with troops.

Everything was now ready for an attack which did not come
off, owing to the natural law that it takes two to make a

85

86

quarrel, and the people we had arranged to quarrel with did not
wait for the show.

In this connection, and as showing that hardships and hard
work are not the inclusive monopoly of the fighting troops,
the following account of what an attack means to the clerical
staff at Brigade headtjuarters is of interest. Corporal E. W. A.
Campbell describes the affair as he saw it : —

In those days of trench-to-trench attacks very detailed
information and orders were issued for each assault, entailing
a great deal of typing and duplicating work. The Brigade
clerks worked a whole day and night getting out the orders
(luckily rum was issued that night, and kept them going !),
and the following day had to pack up, load wagons, and
move up to forward headquarters — a dug-out in the West
Miraumont road.

" On the way up there we had to pass through C»rand-
court, which had previously been obliterated by our heavies,
and the state of the roads was almost beyond description.
The passable part of the road was naturally very narrow,
and a caterpillar had become ditched at a very bad spot.
The R.Es. managed to construct a dMour by bridging shell-
holes, and all transport had to pass round by an unmetalled
track. Owing to the .state of the ground, all artillery
ammunition was being taken up by pack animals, . and
long streams of these were continually passing to and fro.

" The d^touy tracks naturally became like a quagmire in
a very short time, and, to make things worse, one of the
Brigade headquarters' wagons missed one of the small
bridges with the off-wheels, and tipped sideways into the
water, putting a pair of mules on their backs. It took
about three hours tc^ get this out, and then it could only
be done by unloading the wagon and man-handling it.
All wheeled traffic was held up, but the pack animals man-
aged to get through by splashing through the water. Many
of them were so exhausted that they lay down and refused
to get up again, and were dragged to one side and left to
die in the mud.

" The Brigade headquarters transport, with clerks,
servants, and other personnel, finally arrived at the West
Miraumont road about midnight, and unloaded at the corner
just in Petit Miraumont — on to a dead mule which could
not be seen in the mud and darkness ! There was hardly
any trace of a road. It was simply a mass of shell-holes,
full of water, and one went down knee-deep in mud as one
.tried to pick a way between the holes. Stationery boxes
and office gear had to be carried to the dug-out about loo
yards up the road, and the going was so heavy that the
clerks were often brought to their knees with boxes on
their shoulders.

87

" The dug-out was found to be a very poor one. It had
either been strained by shell fire or damaged by the Bosche
before leaving, and it leaked very badly. It was also very
small, and the space allotted for the office was about 4 feet
square. There was one small table on which to do typing,
duplicating, and all other office work, and the clerks had
to sleep either under this table or on the stairs. They had
been working continually for over forty hours, so simply
went to sleep wherever they happened to fall.

" The crowning joke came between 3 and 4 a.m., about
an hour after they had gone to sleep, when a message
arrived announcing that ' Jerry ' had run away. The
Brigade Major came in for somebody to write a message,
and was quite upset when he found that all his efforts to
wake the clerks were futile. However, one of the signallers
finally managed to do so, and one can imagine the thoughts
of the clerks when they found that the work which had
taken so many hours to do had all been in vain."
What had happened was soon made clear. An Anzac patrol
had entered the Loupart line at the south-eastern edge of
Toupart Wood at 3 a.m., and found that the Germans had dis-
appeared in the darkness, going through the motions of folding
their tents like the Arabs and silently stealing away in the
most approved manner.

Patrols had now to be sent forward, a particularly cheering
job, as we had only just arrived, the relief was barely complete,
and we had not seen our front by daylight. However, by
10 a.m. the Brigade had moved forward, dealt with a belt of
uncut wire as well as possible, and occupied the Loupart line
from its junction with the Mirauniont-Achiet-le-Grand Rail-
way on the left to about the west end of Loupart Wood on our
right, where we joined with the 6th Brigade (2nd Division).
The Fusiliers again formed a defensive left flank.

Battle patrols pushed forward by the Bedfordshire, North-
amptonshire, and Middlesex Regiments gained the Achiet-le-
Petit-Grevillers road, with little opposition except for some
machine-gun fire. But it soon became evident that the enemy
was still in Achiet-le-Petit, and was holding on to the Bihucourt
line. Some important high ground was occupied by the Bed-
fordshire Regiment, after a short skirmish in which two machine
guns were captured, but night came down with no alteration
in the general position.

The Division on our left having failed so far to take Achiet-
le-Petit, the Fusiliers, holding our left flank, had on the whole
the busiest time. Captain N. R. Neate, of the Fusihers, did good
work throughout the day in protecting his battahons' left flank,
and, though wounded in the leg early in the proceedings, refused
to leave his company till evening, when assured that the line
was safe against counter-attack.

88

It was on the same day that Lieutenant D. Fuller, of the
Fusiliers, did a gallant piece of work in rescuing one of his
platoon. The man had been embedded in the mud for some
hours. Although his hands were frostbitten and poif-^oned.
Fuller dug with his hands for three and a half hours, no tools
being available. Through a heavy barrage at dawn, and much
sniping afterwards in an exposed place where three men had
been killed by a sniper the previous day, he toiled on till he
had released the man. In this task he was assisted by acting
Company Sergeant-Major W. T. Burch, who worked with him
till he could hardly move with cold and cramp.

Much good patrolling over a dangerous space, in full view
of enemy snipers, was done at this time by 2nd-Licutenant
E. L. Jones, of the same battalion. On one occasion all three
men who went out with him were killed, and he had to lie
motionless while snipers put bullet after bullet into the dead
men. He brought back most valuable information.

Corporal W. Whare, in charge of the Fusilier stretcher-
bearers, also showed great gallantry and devotion to duty on
this and following days, searching out and dressing the wounded
under heavy fire. Another stretcher-bearer, Lance-Corporal
T. Watson, who was working with him, volunteered to take a
party of stretcher-bearers beyond our lines to a spot swept
by snipers and machine gunners to find a wounded officer,
and in a gully attended to the woinided for two hours under
heavy fire.

Early on the 14th Germans were seen massing near the rail-
way-junction south-west of Achiet-le-Grand, apparently with
a view to retaking the high ground which, as already mentioned,
had been seized by the Bedfordshires the previous day. The
enemy shelled this ground heavily, but a concentration of all
our available guns on the derman masses put an end to any
threat from that direction. Apart from this there was little
doing throughout the day, but our patrols were frequently sent
forward, and immediately came under heavy machine-gun fire.

Until the morning of the 17th patrols were the chief form of
activity, but there was an air of expectancy over the whole
Brigade, for everything pointed to a big German withdrawal.
Officers and men, sick of trench warfare, with its constant strain
and occasional advances of a few yards at terrible cost, were
asking themselves whether we were to have open warfare at
last. Though the end was still eighteen months away, and the
fortune of war was to give us many ups and downs, this was the
first welcome siign of the cracking of the German line.

Just before dawn on the 15th a Middlesex Regiment patrol
worked its way through the Bihucourt line into Bihucourt
village itself, where Germans and transport were seen. As soon
as this report came in, the officer commanding the Middlesex
Regiment sent forward a strong battle patrol to occupy the

89

Bihucourt line, and the Bedfordshires endeavoured to advance
in the direction of Achiet-le-Grand. But, probably owing to
the fact that the first patrol had been seen, these battle patrols
came under very heavy machine-gun fire from Bihucourt and
Achiet-le-Grand villages, and they were unable to advance.
They at once took cover in folds in the ground, and casualties
were few.

During the day the enemy heavily shelled our forward posi-
tions, but this was easier to put up with in view of the hopeful
outlook, for Division had ordered that, in view of a probable
enemy withdrawal, we were to have an advance-guard of all
arms ready to go through. The war seemed to be rapidly im-
proving, and we were well on our toes for the word " go."

Early on the 1 7th our patrols reported the Bihucourt line
unoccupied, and the Middlesex Regiment occupied the village of
that name witli little opposition and few casualties, but were
unable to advance beyond owing to heavy machine-gun fire.
Shortly afterwards the Bedfordshire Regiment also got forward,
and occupied the village of Achiet-le-Grand with little loss, and
at the same time Achiet-le-Petit was occupied by the Division
on our left.

During these operations Private Christopher August Cox, of
the Bedfordshire Regiment, was awarded the V.C. for his fine
work as a stretcher-bearer. The official account of his action
reads as follows : —

" For conspicuous gallantry' and devotion to duty as a
stretcher-bearer during operations in front of Achiet-le-
Grand on March 15th, 1917, and subsecjuent days.

" During the attacks on the 13th, under heavy rifle,
machine-gun, and shell fire on an exposed crest, Private
Cox worked continuously, carrying back wounded men on
his shoulders. On the lOth and 17th he continued this
work without rest, and with a complete disregard of his
own safety.

" This man has been in every engagement in which his
battahon has taken part since July, 1916, and has always
displayed the highest example of unselfishness, devotion,
and personal courage."

Much good work was done during the patrolling activities of
these few days.

On one occasion Sergeant H. A. Clarke, of the Bedfordshire
Regiment, with one man, carried out a daring reconnaissance
for 300 yards along a trench leading to the enemy's position,
and later led his platoon with great skill. When some of his
men were buried, he worked foi half an hour under heavy shell
fire digging them out.

During the same period Sergeant Walter Fritz, of the North-
amptonshire Regiment, also distinguished himself on patrol, on

go

one occasion exploring some 400 yards of enemy trench, and
bringing back very useful information. It was he who, on the
morning of March 13th, reported to his battalion that the enemy
had evacuated the Loupart line on their front.

In the case of the Middlesex Regiment much good work was
also done, notably by Sergeants A. Hampson, J. Kenney, and
S. V. Whale, not only in carrying out valuable patrol work, but
in leading their platoons in difificult circumstances. Lance-
Corporal H. J. Langley and Private John Dun lop were also
noted for good work on patrol.

No one who was there will be likely to forget the line work
of the machine guns and the gallantry of the gunners. Corporal
J. Goodall, a Yorkshire Territorial attached to the 54th Machine
Gun Company, took command of two guns when his officer and
sergeant were casualties, and fought them with great courage
and skill. Three Gordons, also attached to the Brigade's
Machine Gun Company, displayed the same fine spirit. They
were Lance-Corporal J. Douglas, who, when all the rest of his
team were casualties, remained on sentry at his gun position
for eight hours under heavy shell fire, and Privates D. Lees and
A. Bradley, who kept their gun in action in a very exposed
place, and so helped the infantry forward, when tlie rest of their
team were killed. Later they dug out three men who had been
buried under heavy shelling.

Before dawn on the i8th Bedfordshire and Middlesex patrols
found that the enemy had made a further withdrawal from his
line of posts north-east of Achiet-Ie-Grand and Bihucourt.
These two battalions were then ordered to push patrols forward
and make good the ground 800 yards beyond the aforementioned
villages, to allow of an advanced guard passing through our
outpost line at Bihucourt. It seemed too good to be true,
after knowing nothing and hearing nothing of anything but
trench warfare since arriving in France, to be setting out into
open country with an advance guard. Were the weary days
of trench warfare giving place to open warfare at last ? The
very words " advanced guard " were cheerful and inspiring.
This was " Infantry Training " and " Field Service Regula-
tions " come true, and we asked for nothing better than to tear
up all the latter-day manuals on trench warfare and get on
with the war.

The advanced guard was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel
R. Turner, D.S.O., commanding the 6th Northamptonshire
Regiment, and composed as follows : —

6th Northamptonshire Regiment.
I Squadron Yorkshire Dragoons.
I Section 54th M.G. Company.
I Company 80th Field Company R.E.
I Section 82nd Battery R.F.A.

At 8 a.m. on March i8th it passed through our outpost line,
with the village of Ervilliers, three miles almost due north of

91

Bihucourt, as its objective. It was the first fine day of spring,
the ground was drying up, there was sunshine over the country-
side, and wc were moving over unshelled, unshattered country,
with officers mounted and a march of no less than three miles
into " enemy country " before us. A good war indeed !

Cavalry patrols were on ahead, followed by a line of infantry
scouts, then the two leading companies of the Northamptonshire
Regiment in artillery formation, with the rest of the advance
guard following in column of route. That progress in fours
into land so recently held by the Bosche was the crowning joy,
and as the ground was drying up, we were able to go straight
across country, independent of roads, to where the little village
of Ervilliers stood on its hilltop.

Brigade hcadcjuarters were moved to just south of Bihucourt.
The other units of the group remained in their present posi-
tions.

The advance guard reached Ervilliers after an eventful march,
the cavalry failing to get into touch with the enemy till they
reached the high ground beyond the village, on the way to
St. Leger. An outpost line on the line of the Ervilliers-Be-
hagnies road was occupied that night, and on the following morn-
ing the march was continued a further two and a half miles
north-east to St. Leger, which was occupied with little opposi-
tion. During this day's march some Indian Cavalry (Lucknow
Cavalry Brigade) co-operated.

After the occupation of St. Leger, Croisilles, a small town
about two miles farther on, was found to be strongly held.
The advance guard therefore took up an outpost line roughly
on the line of the St. Leger- Vaulx-Vrancourt road, the latter
place having been occupied by the ist Anzacs. In the after-
noon the Fusiliers were brought up on the right of the North-
amptonshire Regiment, with headquarters and two reserve
companies at Mory. Brigade headquarters and the Bedford-
shire Regiment moved forward to Ervilliers, and the Middlesex
Regiment to Behagnies and Sapignies. Indian cavalry patrols
protected our left flank. Up to the present we had seen nothing
of the Bosche, with the exception of one found asleep in his
billet, and sent back a prisoner on a cable cart to Bihucourt.

Things were going very well, but that the Germans were not
exactly in full flight, and that it was unwise to push forward
" into the blue," was shown by an incident which some of the
Fusiliers' officers will remember. Colonel Carr, commanding
that battalion, was told by the commanding officer of the bat-
tahon he relieved at Mory that Ecoust (about four miles farther
east) was unoccupied, that his second-in-command had ridden
up to it, and could have ridden right through it if he had had
time. He urged Colonel Carr to report that he was in posses-
sion, and was quite hurt at a refusal. Next morning the Anzacs
on our right attacked Ecoust, but were met by heavy machine-

92

gun fire and suffered heavy casualties, and as a matter of fact
the place was not taken until a week or two later.

Orders were issued that night (March 19th) for the advance
guard to push forward next morning, with a view to occupying
Croisilles if it were not too strongly held by the enemy.

During the night one section of the 82nd Battery R.F.A.
was moved into action to support the proposed assault, and at
dawn on March 20th the advance guard moved off. The attack
was supported by the " Chestnut " Battery R.H.A., as well
as the field guns already mentioned, and by overhead machine-
gun fire by the 34th Machine Gun Company, posted south of
St. Leger. Cavalry protected the flanks, the Corps Cavalry
on the right, and the Indian Cavalry on the left.

The four companies of the Northamptonshire Regiment ad-
vanced in line — " A," " B," " C," " D," from right to left.
Their attack followed roughly the line of a valley running from
St. Leger to Croisilles, " A " Company being on the south of
the valley, " B " seeking to work up the valley itself, and " C "
and " D " advancing on the northerly slope.

Things did not go well, and it was soon evident that the place
was too strongly held for a one-battalion attack with so little
artillery support. " A " Company were imable to leave
the wood in which they had deployed for the attack, owing to
heavy shelling and machine-gun fire, and suffered rather heavy
casualties.

" B " Company had better luck, managing to work up the
valley and dislodge a (ierman advanced post, and making good
progress in spite of heavy shelling.

" C " and " D " Companies, on the northern slope of the
valley, got ahead at first, but after going 400 or 500 yards came
under heavy machine-gun and shell fire, and weie held up.

By 10.30 a.m. it became evident that the attack could not
succeed, and the rather difficult job of extricating the assaulting
companies had to be carried out. This was done io perfect
order, and by 12.30 all were back in the outpost line they had
been holding, except about forty men of " D " Company, who
were collected by Sergeant F. D. Lawrence in a fold of ground
where they were hidden from the enemy, but from which it
was not wise to move by daylight. There they decided to lie
till dark. But about 4 p.m. a party of Cicrmans came up on
their right, threatening to outflank them. They therefore came
back in small parties without casualty. They left behind one
or two wounded men, who were recovered the same evening
by the 8th Devonshire Regiment, who relieved the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment.

Sergeant J. C. Tite, already wearing the Military Medal for
gallantry, led his platoon forward under fire, in the absence of
an officer, and when the order came to withdraw brought them
out of the firing line in the same cool and skilful manner.

93

The cavalry on either flank were also unable to get forward,
owing to machine-gun fire. Two companies of the Bedfordshire
Regiment were moved up to St. Leger to support the North-
amptonshires' attack, but in the circumstances were not put
into the line.

Arrangements were then made for more artillery to be brought
up for a further attack on the following day. However, that
afternoon news came that the Brigade was to be relieved by
the 2oth Brigade (7th Division), and by 7 p.m. this relief had
been carried out, the Northamptonshires handing over to the
8th Devonshires, and the Fusiliers to the ist Gordons.

On the following day the 54th Brigade was concentrated in
the Bihucourt area, and the first little experience of open war-
fare was over, to be renewed exactly a year later, with the
Germans doing the pushing, and ourselves doing the rearguard
work and the withdrawing. But that is a later story.

The Brigade was now sent on a little tour of France, to end
up eventually in the spot where they started. On March 22nd
they marched to the Contay area (west of Albert). The next
day's march (due west) brought them to the Villers-Bocage area.

Here the Army tried an experiment in concentrating a Division
in lorries. It was a weird and wonderful performance. The
units of the Brigade were scattered over an area roughly six
miles north of Amiens, and the problem, as seen by higher
authority, to get them to an area a mile or two .south-west of
the city — say, a three-hour route march. As the experiment
was seen by at least one battalion, it meant a two-mile march
to where the lorries were to be met, a four-hour wait for the
lorries, a four-hour journey by lorry, and then a six-mile route
march to billets. No rations were available, as transport had
been sent on ahead. It was encouraging to hear a fortnight
later that " the experiment was most successful."

This had brought the Brigade to the south-west of Amiens.
Headquarters, with the Machine Gun Company and the Trench
Mortar Battery, were at Revelles ; the Fusiliers, Northampton-
shire Regiment, 54th Field Ambulance, and 80th Field Company
R.E., were at Dury ; the Bedfordshire Regiment at Bovelles ;
and the Middlesex Regiment at Vers.

On March 26th the Brigade entrained for the north, and on
the following day detrained in the Aire area, being billeted at
Thiennes, Steenbeck, and Guarbeck, about half-way between
Bethune and St. Omer.

While here news was received that General T. H. Shoubridge,
commanding the Brigade, who had proceeded on leave when
we came out of the line at St. Leger, had been recalled to com-
mand the 7th Division, and on April 6th Brigadier-General
(i. Cunlitfe-Owen took over command of the Brigade.

Training, with focjtball and boxing tournaments and cross-
country runs, now occupied our days.

94

On April 21st the Brigade moved a few miles south to the
Busnes area, and continued training till the 26th, when a move
was made yet a little farther south to the Pernes area. The
following day's march was to Bryas, a little north of St. Pol,
where the Brigade entrained for Arras.

Arras was not reached till nearly 11 p.m., and then followed
a march of some miles south-east to Neuville Vitasse. It was
after i a.m. on April 28th when at last the weary battalions
found themselves among the ruins of the village and the trenches
and shell-holes in front, where they bivouacked. The word went
round that we were close up to the Hindenburg line, and every-
one wondered what next would happen. The sector in front
of Heninel was taken over, and all was in trim for the next
attack.

On the night of May ist Captain H. M. Eldridge, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, commanding the 54th Trench
Mortar Battery, did a gallant piece of work. A shell burst on
a dump of i8-pounder ammunition, setting fire to the camouflage
covering. Although knowing that it might explode at any
minute, he rushed to the dump and, no water being available,
put out the fire by throwing earth and stamping on it, thus
saving the ammunition and the lives of many men who were
near at hand.

One hopes that there are many Fusiliers still left who remember
an amusing incident — at least, it seemed amusing at the time,
and served to brighten a tired and " fed up " moment — when
the battalion was marching into this sector from Arras.

Late at night a company came to a railway level-crossing,
the gates of which were shut. The Major in command walked
to the gate-keeper's cottage, and after much knocking at the
door, an old Frenchman appeared in what he may have called
his robes de nuit.

The Major was not fluent in French, but having faith that
pigeon-English would take a man anywhere, solemnly said :
" Plentee English soldier come ! Open gates, quick, quick !"
The old Frenchman did not grasp this at all, and the Major
repeated it louder, but still with no result. Thereupon the
Major became fuiious, and shouted at the top of his voice :
" Plentee English soldier come ! Open gates, quick, quick !"

The Frenchman again shook his head. Thereupon the humour
of the situation dawned upon the Major, who burst into laughter,

saying : " Hang these Frenchmen ! They're so dense !"

A man of the company who knew a little French then intervened,
the gates were opened, and the march was resumed. But the
men no longer dragged their legs wearily along. They now
stepped out cheerily, singing to all the popular tunes of the day :
" Plentee English soldier come ! Open gates, quick, quick !"

95

I suppose the whole point of the story is that it has no real
point at all, but it serves at least to show how slight are the
humours on which men will seize to cheer themselves up in
weary moments, and perhaps that is an excuse for so many
stories of this war that look a little thin when set down in cold
blood.

Chapter X

CHERISY

npHE attack on May 3rd was to be against the Cherisy position,
'^ about four miles north-west of the point the Brigade had
reached in its pursuit of the retreating Germans in March.

The Brigade front was from Cherisy on the left nearly to
Fontaine-les Croisilles on the right. Fontaine Trench, which
was heavily wired, and about 500 yards from our forming-up
line, covered Cherisy. Our task was to force the hne of the
Sensee River, which here runs roughly north and south, between
the above mentioned villages, then to push forward to the high
ground east of Cherisy, and dig in there. The operation was
part of a big attack from Bullecourt in the south almost to Lens
in the north. Our jumping-off line consisted of trenches and
shell-holes about 150 yards west of the crest between Heninel
and Cherisy, and from this point there was no observation over
Cherisy or the Sensee Valley.

The assaulting battalions were the Bedfordshire Regiment on
the right and the Middlesex Regiment on the left. " B " Com-
pany of the Fusiliers (Captain Neate) was attached to the
Middlesex Regiment to " mop-up " Cherisy village, and two
platoons of " D " Company of the same battalion were attached
to the Bedfordshire Regiment for " mopping-up." " C " Com-
pany' and the rest of " D " were in support, and " A " Company
was used to move up dumps. The Northamptonshire Regiment
was in reserve. The Bedfordshire Regiment attacked with
" A " Company (Lieutenant Treraeer) on the right, " D "
(2nd-Lieutenant Driver) on the left, " B " (Captain Bull) in
support, and " C " (Captain L. H. Keep) in reserve.

It was evident that the Germans had a great number of
heavy guns opposite us, but his field artillery had apparently
been withdrawn. We had a big concentration of held guns
behind -us, 18-pounders being wheel to wheel along the ridge
in front of Heninel.

A Bedfordshire officer who took part in the attack afterwards
jotted down the following narrative : —

" The forming up took place without incident, and zero hour
was to be at 3.30 a.m. About 3 a.m. each man was visited in
his shell-hole, and all seemed in good fettle. Unfortunately
for us, when our barrage opened at precisely 3.30 it was still
pitch dark, and in point of fact it was not light enough to see
until after 4 a.m. This was a serious handicap, as we had to
go [with men extended to nearly 10 yards apart] about 500 yards

96

97

up a slope, over a crest, and down the other side, before we came
to the first Bosche trench.

" With no landmarks to guide us in the dark, it was almost
impossible to maintain direction. The Bosche was very smart
[about twenty to thirty seconds] in getting his heavy barrage
down on and in front of our forming-up line, and the rear com-
panies suffered severe casualties in passing over our front lines.

" On reaching the crest of the slope the Bedfordshires found
themselves enfiladed from Cherisy on the left and from Fontaine
Wood on the right by very deadly ' grazing ' machine-gun fire.
However, the officers, led gallantly by Major [then Captain]
Keep, rallied the men and pushed on through this withering
fire until, seriously reduced in numbers, they were confronted
by a deep belt of uncut wire in front of Fontaine Trench.

" It was now broad daylight, and the remnant of the Bed-
fordshire Regiment was reorganized amidst this hail of machine-
gun fire, to which had now been added the fire of snipers posted
in Fontaine Wood and in the ruins of Cherisy. The Bedford-
shire Regiment then consolidated a line immediately in front
of Fontaine Trench, having made good, but at a terrible price,
an advance of over 400 yards. Many feats of gallantry were
performed that day, and many that have never and can never
be reported. It has, however, since been established that small
parties of the Bedfordshire Regiment fought their way right
through Fontaine Trench and beyond until they were all killed.

" Of the company officers who started, two only came out
of the action unwounded. Captain Bull, of ' B ' Company,
who had just returned from England after being wounded on
July 1st, 1916, was killed. His was a very great loss, as he was
one of the very finest officers we ever had.

" Lieutenant P. J. Reiss won the M.C. that day. With his
platoon he set a fine example to the regiment in holding on
and fighting the Bosche all day, and, though wounded early in
the proceedings, and in spite of the great heat, he remained in
command of his men until exhausted in the evening.

" Sergeant 'Alec' Lancaster, who won the M.M. in a raid early
in 1916, got a bar. Seeing the situation, he, in spite of machine-
gun and snipers' fire, in broad daylight walked down the whole
of the battalion front, giving a word of cheer here and there,
and organizing posts. He then recrossed No Man's Land,
reported the situation to the Colonel, and returned to his post.

" A D.C.M. was more than earned by Private Gladwish,
servant to 2nd Lieutenant Kydd, of ' B ' Company, who was
killed near Fontaine Trench. Gladwish tried to carry him back,
but lost his way, and in the evening found himself on the wrong
side of Fontaine Trench. For three days and three nights he
tried to find his way back, though he could easily have given
himself up to the Bosche. In spite of terrible thirst and hunger,
he hid by day in shell-holes and reconnoitred by night. Finally,

98

after three nights out, he found himself challenged by a British
sentry, and was safe, though exhausted and looking like a
hunted creature. His great devotion for his officer had led to
his being cut off from his pals.

" In the dusk of the evening of May 3rd the Northampton-
shire Regiment was ordered to take Fontaine Trench, starting
from our old front line. Many of the Bedfordshire Regiment
voluntarily joined in as the Northamptonshires came up to
their positions. It was impossible, however, to hold Fontaine
Trench with the few men who succeeded in getting into it."

A Fusilier officer who was with the Middlesex Regiment also
jotted down his recollections of the fight, as follows : — •

" When the Brigade got up to Fontaine Trench they found
the thick wire uncut. In consequence the whole of the Bed-
fordshire Regiment and half the Middlesex Regiment were held
up and lost heavily. The troops remained in front of the line
in shell-holes, sniping until dark, when they were withdrawn.

" Lieutenant Knight, 12th Middlesex Regiment, attached
54th Trench Mortar Battery, came back to report on the situa-
tion, and, though sniped at all the time, got through without
being hit by dodging from shell-hole to shell-hole. He then
returned with orders from the Brigade in the same way, and
withdrew the parties in his neighbourhood after dark.

" Meanwhile the left part of the Middlesex attack, with Cap-
tain Neate and ' B ' Company Fusiliers, had got right on, as
they were to the left of Fontaine Trench, and cleared the Bosche
out of Cherisy. They were soon afterwards strongly counter-
attacked from the right, and the Germans regained possession of
the village. Very few men and no officer of ' B ' Company got
back to tell the story, and I think no officer of the Middlesex
Regiment. Neate was last heard of firing his revolver at the
Bosche coming on, and his death has since been confirmed.

" Company Sergeant-Major Fitterer, who had done so well
at Boom Ravine, had his jaw and face badly smashed by a
bullet in Cherisy, and came back through the 55th Brigade
area on our left. He was hit at the beginning of the Bosche
counter-attack.

" Neate was as gallant a boy as ever breathed. He was
badly wounded in the head by a trench mortar early in 191 6,
and was never really fit afterwards. His sight was permanently
damaged, but he managed to persuade a Medical Board to send
him out again somehow or other. He was wounded and awarded
the M.C. at Achiet-le-Petit. Whilst in a casualty clearing
station he heard that the battalion was marching through the
village, so broke out of hospital and rejoined. He was nearly
left out of the Cherisy fight, but in the end Colonel Carr allowed
him to go. He was a lad of very high ideals, a most efficient
officer, and as brave as a lion. He was loved by the whole

99

battalion, and was certainly one of the very best officers we
have ever had.

" In the middle of the morning ' C ' Company of the Fusiliers
were ordered to attack Fontaine Trench. There was no pre-
liminary bombardment -or barrage, as the survivors of the dawn
attack were still lying out in front of the line of Fontaine Trench
and in No Man's Land. It was not a very hopeful project.
As soon as they got over the ridge 150 yards in front of our
front line they met a hot fire from machine guns and field guns
and lost heavily, without being able to get near the trench."

The position was necessarily obscure. All that was clear in
the afternoon was that the Brigades on our right and left had
been forced back to their jvmiping-off places, and that the
remnants of the Middlesex and Bedfordshire Regiments were
somewhere out in front, holding on among the shell-holes as
best they could, and unable either to go forward or to with-
draw.

At any rate, another attack was ordered for the evening,
with the object of taking Fontaine Trench, or at least extricating
what was left of the two assaulting battalions which had gone
over before dawn.

Two companies of the Northamptonshire Regiment, " B "
(Captain Mobbs) and " C " (Captain Shepherd), were deployed
for the attack, with orders to take Fontaine Trench at all costs.
An artillery preparation began at 6.30 p.m., paused for fifteen
minutes at 7.0, and at 7.15 down came the barrage, and over
went the assaulting companies close behind it.

As Fontaine Trench was approached a party of Germans
with a captured Lewis gun popped up and began a dispute
that was ended in fine style by Lieutenant G. P. Harding, who
rushed to a flank and bombed the gun out of action, killing
two of the team, a feat for which he was awarded the M.C.

The wire in front of Fontaine Trench proved too formidable
an obstacle, and most of the line had to drop into shell-holes,
where they were pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire for
the rest of the proceedings. But on the left a sunken road
running into Cherisy enabled Captain Shepherd, with Lieu-
tenant H. C. Osborne and about thirty men, to work round and
enter the trench.

Lieutenant Osborne was the first to get in, and shot several
of the enemy with his revolver. Though severely wounded in
the head, he got together a team and led them bombing along
the trench, which was cleared for about 150 yards. He was
wounded a second time, but carried on with great courage
and devotion to duty, winning a M.C. for this good piece of
work.

He was well backed up by Company Sergeant-Major E. W.
Tack, who had won the M.M. at Trones Wood, and now won a
bar to it. Under heavy machine-gun fire he organized his men,

carried on the bombing operations with good effect, and when
all our bombs were exhausted used German bombs.

At this stage eight Lewis guns which had been lost earlier
in the day were recaptured, and eventually four of them were
got back to our lines, the other four only being lost because
the men who tried to bring them in became casualties.

Bombing operations in the trench became all too lively, for
a tunnel gave the Germans a way of escape to a support trench
about forty yards farther back, from which they bombed our
men with plenty ot spirit. Our supplies were running out,
Captain Shepherd attempted to send for more, but five runners,
all volunteers, were shot dead one after the other as they left
the trench to try and get back.

By this time darkness had fallen, but machine-gun fire was
sweeping the top of the trench so that not a finger could be shown
above ground, and the place was alive with bombs.

It became apparent that the trenches could not be held, for
only ten men now remained of the thirty who had entered it,
and orders were given for the survivors to make their way back
the best they could. Diving from shell-hole to shell-hole, the
old German cable trench that ran back into our line was at
last reached, and here a bomb block was constructed, and a
message sent back for more bombs.

Later that night Captain Shepherd and Company Sergeant-
Major Tack went out in the darkness and guided in the men
who had been lying out before the German wire. This was
no easy job in the darkness, and at least one party, seeing the
guides advancing, took them for Germans, and made off in the
other direction, and were not seen again.

So ended a bad day. What went wrong, and why the attempt
failed, are questions that need not be thrashed out here. But
at least officers and men of the Brigade had done ail that could
be done in very adverse circumstances, and the awards made
revealed a number of cases of splendid individual heroism.

Lieutenant K. Knight, a Middlesex officer attached to the
Trench Mortar Battery, was awarded the M.C. in circumstances
already referred to. According to the official account, he
" went forward with an assaulting company of the 12th Middlesex
Regiment. When the retirement took place, he and two or
three men maintained their position in a shell-hole and sniped
the enemy during the day. When darkness came on, realizing
that the counter-attack liad not succeeded, he made his way
back to our lines, and in doing so came across a party of the
7th Bedfordshire Regiment, about fifty strong, who had con-
solidated a series of shell-holes about 500 yards in front of our
line. On his return he reported this fact, and when it had been
decided that this party should withdraw, he volunteered to go out
again and bring them in. In this he was successful ; and, not-
withstanding heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, he brought the
whole party back vdthout casualty."

Corporal S. H. Martin was one of five Fusiliers awai'ded the
M.M. for that day's work. " He displayed great courage and
tenacity in holding for several hours ground which had been
gained in the advance. With a small party, in spite of casualties
caused by heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, he kept the
enemy in a strong post under continual fire, thus enabling the
troops on his left to withdraw with comparative safety."

Captain K. H. Nelson, R.A.M.C, the Bedfordshire Regiment's
medical officer, won the M.C. that day. According to the
official account, his " unselfish devotion to duty throughout
the action was the direct cause of many lives being saved.
He worked throughout the day in No Man's Land under heavy
machine-gun fire, and at times intense artillery fire. It was
through his careful search of the battlefield that most of the
more serious cases were found and brought back. Time after
time he went practically as far out as our most advanced posi-
tions in the endeavour to attend to the wounded."

For similar work a D.C.M. went to Corporal H. Swannell,
of the Bedfordshire Regiment, who worked continuously for
over twelve hours tending the wounded under fire.

Among the Northamptonshires, Captain (now Major) Shepherd
was awarded a bar to the M.C. he had won at Trones Wood,
and the awards to Lieutenant Osborne and Harding and Com-
pany Sergeant-Major Tack have already been mentioned.

A D.C.M. went to Sergeant S. V. Whale, of the Middlesex
Regiment, who already wore the M.M. " After all the officers
of his company had been killed [says the official account], he
took command of a mixed body of troops from several battalions,
organized them, formed strong points and posts, and controlled
their fire with good effect. Upon the party being reduced from
fifty to a mere handful, he collected other men as reinforcements,
and sent back progress reports."

For good work with this sergeant. Private Alfred Fox, of the
same- battalion, also received the D.C.M. When the party was
forced to retire, he, with Sergeant Whale, covered the retire-
ment for half an hour with a Lewis gun, and afterwards volun-
teered to take a report back under very heavy fire.

Among other Middlesex men whose good work that day won
recognition were the following : —

Sergeant E. Isherwood, D.C.M. : " Besides leading and keep-
ing his platoon together under very trying circumstances, he
volunteered to form a strong point on the outskirts of the
village (Cherisy), leaving a remnant of his platoon under another
sergeant. Taking ten men under very heavy rifle and machine-
gun fire, he formed the strong point, from which he was able
to inflict severe loss on the enemy, and hold it throughout the
day."

Sergeant T. T. Lucas, D.C.M. : " After his platoon commander
was wounded very early in the fight, he rallied his men and

took them as far as the German trench. When the company
sergeant-major became a casualty, he took over the duties, and
was instrumental, with other N.C.Os. and certain officers, in
rallying the men of his own and the Bedfordshire Regiments,
when they started to retire, getting them, in spite of heavy
enemy shelling and machine-gun fire, to go forward to the
attack once more. They advanced in spite of heavy losses,
as far as the wire in front of the enemy trench, but were unable
to get through owing to the intensity of the enemy fire and the
fact of the wire being intact. The party were subsequently
ordered to retire, and Sergeant Lucas displayed great initiative
and resource in organizing the retirement, and when the retire-
ment had been successfully carried out, and not till then, did
he himself retire."

Private F, List, M.M. : " Was No. 2 on a Lewis gun. For
two hours he kept his gun in action from a position quite close
to the enemy's lines. No. i was then killed, and List remained
with the gun for a further sixteen hours, then returning under
cover of darkness to our lines, bringing the gun with him."

Corporal H. Lucas, M.M. : " On reaching the outskirts of the
village (Cherisy), he found men of various units disorganized
and without a leader. He got about forty together, led them
forward to the river beyond the village, where they made a
vigorous but unsuccessful attack on a hostile machine-gun
emplacement."

Sergeant J. G. Holmes, M.M. : " Succeeded in rallying and
leading forward to a fresh attack men of his own and another
regiment who had started to retire. The party dug themselves
in close to the enemy's lines, and maintained the position for
several hours until, when darkness came on, they were ordered
back. He organized the retirement, bringing up the rear.
He afterwards went out again with 2nd-Lieutenant Knight,
and brought in all men who could be found, about fifty, and
later personally conducted stretcher-bearers to where wounded
were lying out."

Lance-Corporal D. H. Hughes, M.M. : " On being unable to
ascertain from whom the order to retire originated, he refused
to return, collected a few men, and formed a strong point close
to the enemy's wire."

Captain H. Perks, of the Middlesex Regiment, who was at
first reported killed, but was afterwards found to be a prisoner,
did some fine work in the village of Cherisy. He was in com-
mand of the support company. Seeing that the attack on the
right had failed, and that German reinforcements were pouring
in from Fontaine-les-Croisilles, he got together some fifty or
sixty nien, and attempted to form a defensive flank near the
cross-roads at the southern end of the village. In doing this
he exposed himself freely, and was wounded several times, but

I03

carried on till he was hit in the head and fell apparently dead.
The little garrison continued to hold up the enemy till a general
retirement took place later in the day, when all that were left,
only eight men, made their way back.

On the night of May 4th the Brigade was relieved and went
back to Neuvillc Vitasse, and afterwards to the Henu area.
There they remained in support till the beginning of June,
carrying on with training and working parties.

The Brigade took over the Divisional front on June 2nd, in
front of Cherisy, the Northamptonshire Regiment holding the
left sector, the Fusiliers the right, with the Bedfordshire Regiment
in support and the IVfiddlesex Regiment in reserve.

While the relief was in progress, the enemy put over a heavy
bombardment on the sector where the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment was taking over from the 7th Royal West Kent Regiment,
and rushed and captured certain advanced posts which had been
held by the latter battalion. The West Kent Regiment, aided
by two platoons of the Northamptonshire Regiment, at once
counter-attacked, and retook the captured posts, with the
exception of one known as Horseshoe Post.

This particular post figured largely in events of the next few
days. It was, as its name suggests, a small horseshoe-shaped
trench which the Germans had dug out around a shell-hole in
front of Fontaine Trench, about half-way across to the trenches
and shell-holes which we were now holding. As it could be
enfiladed by the Germans from Cherisy tillage, it was by no
means a health resort, but at the same time its position made it
of interest to both sides. Thus it often changed hands — one
night we would hold it, and the next the Germans would shell
us out and take over, only to be ejected in turn when oux trench
mortars got busy.

As it was lost to our side during the relief, it was up to the
Northamptonshire Regiment, according to the rules of the game,
to get it back the next night. Accordingly our trench mortars
and 4'5's gave it some spell of discomfort on the afternoon of
June 3rd, and at 11 p.m. that night two platoons of the North-
amptonshire Regiment, led by Lieutenant Beckenham, rushed
across under shrapnel and recaptured the post. Twelve dead
Germans and twenty-five rifles were found in and around the
spot. On the following day the Germans heavily shelled the
post at intervals, but we managed to hold on, and on the 5th
the post was wired in.

At best the Horseshoe was only a shell-hole that had been
consolidated and improved, and it never changed hands before
it had been battered out of recognition. But size is relative,
and the capture of many square miles of territory later in the
war did not attract so much attention as the fortunes of this

I04

little post. When the London newspapers reached the North-
amptonshires a few days later they found in The Times a head-
ing in big tjrpe : " Lost British Post Regained."

On June i8th the Brigade was relieved and marched back
to the Henu area, whence on July 3rd they marched to Doullens
and entrained for the north.

Chapter XI

THE YPKES SALIENT AND GLENCQRSE WOOD

'TpHE Brigade now entered on a tour of duty in the Ypres
■*• salient, that place of so much heroism and hard fighting.
Detraining at Godewaersvelde, the battalion proceeded to
camps in the Dickebusch area (about three miles south-west of
Ypres) .

All thoughts and efforts were now turned towards the next
offensive, which was expected about the end of the month.
It was not altogether a comfortable period. The Germans
shelled our camps with a good deal of regularity, and the work-
ing parties that went up to the line each night had a rather
bad time with high explosive and gas shells.

" The Bosche seemed to have an inkling of the approaching
battle," writes a Bedfordshire officer, " for he massed a greater
amount of artillery than ever against the salient, and many of
us remember those nightly crossings of the Ypres-Camines
Canal, and the subsequent enforced loitering about the neigh-
bourhood of that hell on earth, Zillebeke Lake and village.
There were many casualties at this time, among them being
Captain D. S. H. Keep, M.C., who insisted on accompanying
his company on these nightly working parties, till one night,
probably the worst we experienced, he was killed on the banks
of Zillebeke Lake, amidst a combined shower of rain, high
explosive and gas shells, lasting the whole of the night. So bad
was it that the companies could not return till dawn."

Major Sale, who was then the Fusiliers' medical officer, also
has vivid memories of those days, and has jotted down the
following notes : —

" The area to which our working parties had to go, particu-
larly round Zillebeke, was very unhealthy. It was just at this
time that the Bosche started making use of mustard-gas shells,
and our men were among the first to get some near Zillebeke.

" The whole area was waterlogged, and stank of putrefaction ;
it was a most depressing spot, and the men hated these working
parties more than anything. They had a fair march by cross-
country tracks to get there, the route running by Cafe Beige,
Bedford House, Transport Farm, Zillebeke, and a trench named
Vint Street.

105

" A parody was made up in the battalions of a well-known
popular song, as follows : —

"I'm going back to dear old Zillebeke,
That's the hottest place I know.
Can't you hear the busmen calling,

' Cafe Beige, Bedford House, Zillebeke and Viiit Street ?'
I won't hesitate to duck my head
When a shell is coming near.
Oh, find me a shelter anywhere —
Dug-out, shell-hole, I don't care.
There's a Red Cross car awaiting there,
In dear old Zillebeke."

As it happened, the expected offensive did not materialize
on July 31st, and eventually came off on August loth.

On our part of the front (according to the plans for the earlier
date) the 30th Division were to advance south of the Menin
Road, take Stirling Castle (a bit of high ground east of Sanctuary
Wood), cross the Menin Road, and go up to the edge of Glen-
corse Wood. They were then to be leapfrogged by the 53rd
Brigade, to which the nth Battalion Royal Fusiliers were
attached. Later, if all had gone well, the remainder of the 54th
Brigade were to leapfrog the 53rd Brigade and advance into
Polygon Wood. In anticipation of success, it was said that
one battalion had arranged a race meeting for the near future
on the racecourse in Polygon Wood.

A very elaborate model of all this area had been made by the
corps in a field between Ouderdom and Poperinghe, and was
visited by every officer and N.C.O.

After days and nights of intense artillery duels by both sides,
August loth and the attack came at last.

The assaulting battalions were the Fusiliers on the right
and the Bedfordshire Regiment on the left, and were formed
up on a front of about 750 yards, with the right near the Hooge-
Menin Road.

The Northamptonshire Regiment sent a company to each of
the assaulting battalions to " mop up," had another company
as carrying party, and a fourth to garrison strong points. The
Middlesex Regiment was held in reserve, two companies at
Dickebusch, one in Ritz Trenches, and one in Chateau Wood,
in front of Hooge.

The objectives of the Brigade included Glencorse Wood and
the high ground which, in an area where a few feet formed a
prominent hill, would give observation over a good stretch of
country.

The assaulting battalions formed up on the tape without
being observed by the enemy, and at zero — 4.35 a.m. — went
over, the enemy only indulging in desultory shelling as our
troops moved off.

It will now be more convenient to follow the fortunes of each
of the assaulting battalions in turn.

On the right the FusiUers (having the 5.5th Brigade on their
right) pushed ahead with Httle difficulty until the right com-
pany came under heavy machine-gun fire from Inverness Copse
and Dumbarton Lakes (in the 55th Brigade's area), and eased
off to the left. The effect of this was that when the line of the
final objective was reached, the right of our attack only reached
Fitzclarence Farm, and was out of touch with the 55th Brigade.
There was also a gap between the Fusiliers and the Bedford-
shire Regiment on the north.

A company of Northamptonshires attached to the Fusiliers
(under Captain Grace, who was killed) followed the attacking
waves, bombed all dug-outs, and took about forty prisoners,
mostly from the south edge of Glencorse Wood.

By 6 a.m. all the officers of the Fusilier attacking companies
were casualties, and a heavy counter-attack was launched by
the enemy from Inverness Copse on our right. This attack
was preceded by hostile bombing along Jargon Trench and other
trenches which crossed our front from the Copse to Glencorse
Wood. As a result the Fusiliers were driven back, and, under
orders from Brigade headquarters, took up a line about 200
yards in front of Clapham Junction, where they were able to
join up with the 55th Brigade. This line was held till the
battalion was relieved by the 8th Norfolk Regiment, about
4 a.m. on August nth.

In the meantime the Bedfordshire Regiment had got well
forward behind the barrage, and at 5.13 a.m. a message reached
Brigade headquarters saying that they were on the final objec-
tive. Three companies then attempted to consolidate, but,
owing to marshy ground and deep mud, only isolated posts
could be established.

At 9.17 a.m. a message was received from Captain Driver,
commanding the left company, to the effect that they still held
the final objective, but the companies on their right flank were
badly bent back (this would refer to the difficulties the Fusiliers
were experiencing).

Repeated enemy counter-attacks were made from Nonne
Bosschen Wood (to the Bedfordshire Regiment's left front), but
our artillery dealt effectively with these. More serious was the
position in Glencorse Wood, where, owing to the Fusihers having
been pushed back, the enemy were able to push through in
good numbers. As a result, the Bedfordshire Regiment by mid-
day was holding Jargon Trench, about half-way to their final
objective, as their main fine. At dusk the enemy put a smoke
barrage across Glencorse Wood and again counter-attacked,
but this was beaten off by our artillery barrage and by rifle and
machine-gun fire, and the line was handed over at 2 a.m. on
August I ith to the 6th Royal Berkshire Regiment.

After the attack had been launched at zero, the Northampton-
shires' strong point company (" C," under Captain Shepherd)

io8

pushed forward and occupied the allotted positions on the left.
Several parties for other strong points, however, had to be
pushed up to deal with counter-attacks on the Fusiliers'
front.

The 54th Machine Gun Company had two guns with each
assaulting battalion, four to go forward to the strong points,
and four in reserve. These guns did splendid work, especially
those garrisoning the strong points, and there is no doubt that
more of the enemy were killed this day by rifle and machine-
gun fire than in any previous attack by the Brigade. The
lessons preached during the past few months on the importance,
of the rifle seemed to have borne fruit, and the majority of
men who started out with ryo rounds of small arms ammunition
returned with less than 20 rounds.

The 54th Trench Mortar Battery had two guns with sixty
rounds each in action in the strong points, and did excellent
work. More ammunition was afterwards brought up, but the
bad state of the ground prevented a big supply being carried
forward, and the two guns were the utmost that could be kept
in action.

So much for a general survey of the attack. Such an opera-
tion is necessarily best seen from many points of view, and the
following accounts of officers who took part are well worth
quoting.

The first is from an officer of the Fusiliers, who writes : — ■

" On August 7th we moved up to take over the line from the
12th Middlesex Regiment just north of Menin Road. The i8th
Division were not allowed to use the Menin Road, but a track
had been constructed from near ' Shrapnel Corner,' running
north of Zillebeke and through Sanctuary Wood, joining the
Menin Road at the commencement of the Menin Road tunnel.

" Owing to the heavy rain and the passage of guns and limbers,
this ' A.T.N, track,' as it was called, was in a most appalling
state. Rations and ammunition had to be brought up from
Canal Camp, Dickebusch, by pack train. The transport prob-
ably had their worst experience here ; it was pitch dark and
raining most nights, the country was full of big shell-holes half
full of water, and if a mule once got into one, it was with the
greatest difficulty that he could be got out again. It was not
uncommon for the pack train to leave between 4 and 5 p.m.,
and not get back till between 7 and 8 a.m. next morning.

" The Fusilier dispositions were : ' B ' Company (Captain
Fuller) on the left, ' D ' (Captain Gray) on the right, ' C ' (Lieu-
tenant Watt) in support, and ' A ' (Captain Home) in reserve.
The forming-up tape was laid by Captain Gray and Lieutenant
Horton on the night of the 8th, only 150 yards from the Bosche
line. They had just returned from laying them out when an
order came in postponing the attack for twenty-four hours.
So, in case the tapes should be seen in daylight, they had to

I09

go out and take them in, and put them down again on the night
of the 9th.

" On the ridge about 200 yards from the south-west corner
of Glencorse Wood was a group of about ten concrete pill-
boxes. These stood up clear on the sky-line. For the whole
of the afternoon of the gth our 9-inch guns attempted to knock
this strong point to bits, but the damage done to the pill-boxes
was practically nil. There were about a dozen derelict tanks
laying about our front, the result of a previous unsuccessful
attack, and corpses everywhere.

" The barrage opened at dawn, and the men got away very
well. They got well on into Glencorse Wood, and on the open
ground some of ' D ' Company, including Captain Gray, got
right up to Fitzclarence Farm. Unfortunately, the battalion
on our right did not get on at all. Our men were caught
by a very heavy enfilade machine-gun fire in consequence, and
soon afterwards the Bosche came out from Inverness Copse in
strong force and got almost in rear of ' C ' Company, our support
company.

" Casualties had been very heavy, particularly amongst
officers. In ' B ' Company, Fuller was shot through the head
trying, with only his Lewis gun sergeant. Sergeant Franklin,
to rush a machine gun in a concrete emplacement. Horton,
his second-in-command, was hit by a bullet through the chest
shortly after leaving the strong point. Calthrop had been
killed. In ' D ' Company, Gray was last seen lying in a shell-
hole close to Fitzclarence Farm, shot through both knees and
using his revolver over the top of the shell-hole. Watt, com-
manding ' C ' Company, was twice wounded, but continued
fighting until again wounded, this time mortally. In ' A ' Com-
pany, Stovell, another plucky lad, was killed by a bomb. Ser-
geant Bott, who had got the D.C.M. at Thiepval, and was on
this occasion commanding a platoon, was killed at the edge
of Glencorse Wood. Captain Hoare, of ' A ' Company, was the
last surviving officer, and he was shortly afterwards sniped
through the head from the direction of Glencorse Wood.

" By this time the Fusiliers were withdrawing from their
advanced posts, and a line was established 200 yards east of
Clapham Junction.

" At this stage things were critical, as we had very few men
left to man all this line, and there were no troops in reserve
behind us nearer than Sanctuary Wood. The FusiHers had no
company officer left, and only one company sergeant-major —
Burch of ' C ' Company. However, Lewis guns, and later
machine guns, were placed to cover the gap on our right.
Pearcy, the signalhng officer, came up from headquarters,
which was in the Menin tunnel, with all available men — servants,
runners, and pioneers — and a company of the Middlesex Regi-
ment came up from Sanctuary Wood and went into the line

just north of the Menin Road. Two platoons of the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment who were there to garrison certain strong
points which were to have been established forward were also
on the ridge, and Captain (now Lieutenant-Colonel) Minet, of
the 54th Machine Gun Company, and Captain Shepherd, of the
Gth Northamptonshire Regiment, took charge of and organized
the line.

" Twice the enemy formed up for counter-attacks on the
strong point during the day, but each time they were stopped.
During the early hours of the day, when things were critical,
the remaining N.C.Os. of the battalion had done splendid work
by driving out the Bosche who had come in from Inverness
Copse, and in taking up the new line."

The Bedfordshire Regiment's side of the show is thus described
by Captain Driver : —

" Just before 4 a.m. we were ready, the companies being in
position as follows : ' B ' Company (Captain Driver) on the
left, ' C ' Company (Captain Kingdon) on the right, ' A ' Company
(Captain Clarke) in support, and ' D ' Company (Captain Fer-
gusson) in reserve. Dawn broke quietly, and so well concealed
were our men that the Bosche evidently decided that no attack
would take place. We even watched him taking off some of
his night forward posts, and our spirits went up.

" The ' going ' was very bad, owing to the number of shell-
craters, all full of water, and more or less linked up by little
canals. The Bedfordshire Regiment had furthermore to cap-
ture a trench with wire defences this side of Glencorse Wood,
and then fight its way through the Wood and out the other
side, and take up a position on the edge of Nonne Bosschen
Wood. Never have the Bedfordshire Regiment been in better
form. Held up by the wire of the first trench, it was an in-
spiring sight to see the leading wave firing at the Bosche in the
' standing ' position, while others cleared gaps in the wire, and
then to see them rush the trench with a cheer, although machine-,
gun bullets were flying all round. The Bedfordshire Regiment
literally surged through the morass inside the wood, the trees
of which had been rendered naked and mutilated by shell fire ;
but at the highest part of the wood, and in other suitable spots,
the Bosche was holding fortified pill-boxes.

" It must be remembered that this was the British Army's
first experience of pill-boxes. Without a halt the Bedfordshires
fought their way through, using bomb and bayonet, to their
final objective and beyond it, until they were held up by our
own barrage, which had become stationary.

" But it was not very long before the Bedfordshires found
themselves in a very exposed position. The Cheshire Regiment
on the left were not quite up in line, and on the right the Fusiliers
had encountered a withering fire from machine guns, with the

consequence that, having lost practically all their officers, they
had to be content with small progress.

" The Bosche still held Inverness Copse and the country
between it and Glencorse Wood. However, in spite of this,
the Bedfordshires dug in where they were, and sent some men
to link up with the Fusiliers, with the result that, while touch
was maintained, the Bedfordshires holding Glencorse Wood
were forming a very nasty salient, and were subject all day to
fire from their right flank from pill-boxes manned by deter-
mined machine gunners and snipers. Consequently during the
day many casualties were suffered in this way.

" In the late afternoon it was apparent that the Bosche was
preparing a determined counter-attack from the direction of
Polygon Wood. But the Bedfordshires had not been idle, and
had thoroughly consolidated their position, and received sup-
plies of ammunition and machine guns. Also our artillery was
warned, and when the Bosche started to deliver his counter-
attack, he was met by a deluge of fire from both infantry and
artillery, causing shocking casualties. Needless to say, our
line was intact at the end. That night the Bedfordshires were
relieved."

Captain Driver, who already wore the D.S.O., was awarded
the M.C. for this day's work. To quote the official account :
" After gallantly leading his company in the attack, he skil-
fully and at great personal risk consolidated his advanced posts.
He continually visited his posts, although under constant
enemy sniping, and directed the fire, thus harassing the enemy
while they were endeavouring to form up for a counter-attack.
Through his daring reconnaissances, movements of the enemy
were noticed and severely dealt with by our artillery on his
information. Although fired at by snipers and machine guns,
he showed not the slightest hesitation in continuing his rounds
from post to post, and when hit by a sniper, although his jaw
was broken and his tongue shot through, he endeavoured to
carry on, and only gave up when suffering from loss of blood.
Even then he wrote a full account of the situation."

Of splendid work by individuals that day one might go on
telling stories to the end of this book, and again comes the
difficult task of attempting a selection.

Among the Fusiliers, Lieutenant G. S. Pearcy, the signalling
officer, won a bar to the M.C. that had been awarded for his
work at Boom Ravine. " When all company officers were
casualties [says the official account], he took command of the
scattered companies, and details of other battalions, and showed
marked ability and gallantry in resisting a heavy counter-
attack successfully."

The following awards to other ranks of the FusiHers are also
quoted from official accounts : —

Private Thomas Adams, D.C.M. : " From early morning this
stretcher-bearer carried men from the thickest part of the enemy
barrage to the aid post. Later, at a very critical moment,
when the attacking troops had lost all their leaders, and were
wavering before an enemy counter-attack, by his excellent
example and contempt for danger he succeeded in encouraging
them to go back to the ridge they were vacating. He also
collected various stragglers of different units, and posted them
in groups in the line. Throughout the day, and again that
night, he worked indefatigably in dressing and carrying back
the wounded on his back under fire."

Sergeant Ernest Wilson, D.C.M. : " When all the company
officers had become casualties, he collected his men together
and assisted to garrison a very important strong point, and
succeeded in beating off repeated German counter-attacks.
Later, when surrounded and overwhelmed by great numbers,
he and his garrison were driven from their positions, where-
upon he ralhed his men, attached them to another unit, and
helped to recapture the position."

Sergeant Henry Berry, D.C.M. : " When all his officers had
become casualties, he took charge of his company. Although
wounded, he organized the defence of the line, and successfully
destroyed repeated enemy counter-attacks. When the troops
on his left were dislodged temporarily from their position during
the night, he organized and led part of the counter-attack
which regained the position."

Sergeant (Acting Company Sergeant-Major) W. T. Burch,
D.C.M. : " When all company officers had become casualties,
he rallied the men at a critical moment, and then reorganized
the line, garrisoning a strong point of vital importance. By
careful judgment in placing Lewis guns, he desti-oyed German
infantry who were trying to form for an attack. During the
night he and his garrison beat off a very determined counter-
attack."

Corporal H. Hallett and Lance-Corporal T. Wright were also
awarded the D.C.M. for skilful handling of their men when
officers had become casualties, and for similar good work the
M.M. was awarded to Sergeant G. H. Whittington and Lance-
Corporal W. Rickards.

Private Arthur Jakes, M.M., had an exciting time. Cut off
and surrounded by the enemy, he remained in a shell-hole a
long way in front of our position, and continued to snipe the
enemy throughout the day. After dark he made fiis way back
across trenches full of Germans, and safely rejoined his battalion.

Among officers of the Bedfordshire Regiment, Captain A. J.
Colley was awarded a bar to his M.C. " When the troops on
the right began to retire, the effect of which would probably
have passed along the whole front line, he rushed forward,
assisted to collect the retiring men, moved them forward again.

113

re-established them in a fire position, and so prevented what
might have been a great disaster."

The M.C. was also awarded to Captain J. A. Vlasto, medical
officer to the same battalion, and Lieutenant F. Corner, the
quartermaster.

Captain Vlasto " attended to over 300 cases under extremely
heavy shell and rifle fire. During a gas and smoke cloud he
worked ceaselessly in the firing line."

The award to Lieutenant Corner was for work during the
days and nights preceding the actual attack. " On August 6th
the enemy suddenly opened a very heavy shell fire on ten horse-
men and wagons, with two days' rations for the battaUon.
When the whole was in danger of being destroyed, he went
through the heavy shelling, and by his cool courage saved men.
horses, and rations. He was very badly shaken by shell fire.
On the night of August 8th-9th the enemy barraged the front,
support, and rear lines for some hours. He made a personal
reconnaissance of the route, and was able to guide the rations
through to the battahon."

Good work was done by Corporal Ernest Jones (orderly to
Captain Vlasto), who was awarded the M.M. in the following
circumstances : " He collected during the day 250 cases of
wounded, and four times in succession went through an ex-
tremely heavy artillery barrage to bring them in. When he
was clearing a derelict tank of wounded who were sheltering
there, the enemy opened heavy artillery fire, killing and wound-
ing several, and almost severing one man's arm. Corporal
Jones held the artery under heavy fire until the wound was
dressed, thus .saving the man's life. When Captain Vlasto was
exhausted, Corporal Jones carried on, and, although suffering
from gas, repeatedly journeyed through Glencorse Wood to the
front line till all the wounded had been cleared."

Among other awards made to the Bedfordshire Regiment
were the following : —

Sergeant W. Peck, D.C.M. : " An enemy machine gun was
seriously holding up a platoon. He rushed the gun alone,
killed the gunner, and then, jumping on the emplacement,
bombed the rest of the team. This act of gallantry enabled
the attack to be carried to a successful conclusion."

Lance-Corporal G. H. Fitzgerald, M.M. : " Rushed forward
and bombed out of action a machine gun which was causing
us casualties. The gun was afterwards turned upon the enemy
by the Machine Gun Company."

Lance-Corporal F. C. Spring, M.M. : " The wires being fre-
quently broken by the enemy's barrage, he asked permission
to try to establish visual signalling. This entailed his going
to the enemy's side of the ridge. He went there through the

I

114

heavy barrage and machine-gun fire, and established communi-
cation. He was soon spotted by snipers, and continually shot
at, but stuck to his post."

The Northamptonshire's medical officer. Captain W. B.
Postlethwaite, was awarded the M.C. for gallant work under
fire, and other awards in the same battalion included : —

Lance-Corporal J. F. Norris (already wearing the M.M. and
bar, and now awarded the D.C.M.) : " This N.C.O., with his
Lewis-gun team, formed part of a ' mopping-up ' company to
the Fusiliers. After clearing dug-outs he joined the attacking
force. He located and put out of action two enemy machine
guns which were holding up the advance. Later a third machine
gun was located by one of our aeroplanes, which fired tracer
bullets at it. The position was then picked up by this N.C.O.,
and the gun team was put out of action."

The D.C.M. was also awarded to Privates F. L. Smith and
F. Farrar. " These two Lewis gunners noticed a German
machine gun, and with no other assistance made a daring attack.
Private Farrar rushed the position and killed the two gunners,
while Private Smith engaged the gun with his Lewis gun, and
then rushed forward, killed one of the enemy, wounded another,
and took five others prisoners."

Three Middlesex officers were awarded the M.C. : —

2nd-Lieutenant E. D. Alcock " was in command of a carrying
company. With great courage and skill he led his men through
a heavy barrage, carrying 80,000 rounds of small arms ammuni-
tion from the dump at Zillebeke to the vicinity of the front line.
During the latter part of the journey the company was subjected
to hostile machine-gun fire, in addition to being shelled. Although
30 per cent, of his men became casualties, he delivered the whole
of the ammunition."

2nd-Lieutenant G. A. Bond " brought rations to the front
line each night on pack animals, over very difficult country
which was shelled almost continually. In addition, he brought
up in the same way all the material for the forward Brigade
dump for the attack on August loth. In spite of casualties
to animals, and several stampedes caused by shells dropping
amongst the train, he never failed to deliver the whole of the
g^ods."

The third M.C. and some awards for other ranks were won
during a minor operation on August 15th and i6th, when this
battalion (together with the Bedfordshire Regiment) was tem-
porarily attached to the 53rd Infantry Brigade.

2nd-Lieutenant K. G. Calvert " was in charge of headquarters'
company on August i6th in the attack against Westhoek Ridge,
and was ordered to bring his men across from Stirling Castle
to the Menin Road tunnel. There was very heavy shelling
going on, and a certain amount of panic and confusion resulted.
2nd-Lieutenant Calvert at once grasped the situation, and by

115

able handling of his men brought them quickly and success-
fully through to their destination, by getting them down into
shell-holes and then choosing with great coolness the right
moments to push forward again."

Captain (now Lieutenant-Colonel) E. C. T. Minet, of the
54th Machine Gun Company, was awarded the D.S.O. for his
work on August loth. " When it became apparent that the
right of the Brigade was outflanked and driven back, he took
charge of all troops in the vicinity, and established a defensive
flank at a most critical moment. Throughout the day he was
in the front line, passing from gun to gun, controlling the fire
and encouraging all ranks."

A D.C.M. went to Sergeant J. Goodall, of the Machine Gun
Company. " He assisted in capturing a concrete machine-gun
emplacement, with ten prisoners and a machine gun. He im-
mediately manned this gun and used it against the enemy."

A similar award went to Private L. Lewis, of the Machine
Gun Company. " His gun was destroyed by shell fire, and he
immediately returned through the barrage and obtained another.
He then went forward again alone, found his team, brought his
gun into action, and maintained his position until seriously
wounded."

On leaving the Glencorse Wood sector the Brigade was for
a time in the Buysscheure and Wormhoudt areas (north of
St. Omer), engaged in training, and afterwards moved up to
the St. Janter Biezen area and Tunnelling Camp (near Poper-
inghe), with a view to taking part in operations in front of
Poelcapelle.

" Here, on September 15th and i6th [writes a Middlesex
officer], Thiepval and Schwaben Redoubt were .celebrated by
inter-battalion raids at midnight across ploughed fields.

" About the first or second week in October the officers were
interviewed by Sir Ivor Maxse, who told us about the forth-
coming attack for the Westroosebeke Ridge. I believe it was
on this occasion that he said : ' Gentlemen, I've arranged a
very nice battle for you, with lots of Huns to kill !'

" On October 15th we crossed No. 4 bridge over the canal
[just north of Ypres], and went on by duck-boards to Cane
Trench, near Pilkem, where we spent the night in bivouacs.
We were shelled occasionally through the night, and suffered a
few casualties. We left next day and went forward. Battalion
headquarters was about 800 yards west of the church in Poel-
capelle, and the line ran north and south through the church.

" This was the first occasion on which an American doctor
went into the line with us. This was Lieutenant Anderson,
and he was kept busy with the 96 casualties we had by the
time we reached the front line.

" The Hun was very nervous about being attacked, and from
4 a.m. on the 17th until daybreak put a barrage down every

I 2

ii6

hour, each lasting fifteen minutes. At 6 a.m. he blew up a
pill-box about fifty yards in front of us, and' we sent a patrol
out to see what was there. Subsequent information showed
that there was a garrison of one officer and seven men with two
machine guns.

" On hearing this. Brigade inquired how we came by this
information, and tiiat is rather a humorous story in itself. A
very new gunner officer had been sent up to find our head-
quarters, and when about 500 yards in front of the same
thought it time to inquire his way. He asked someone where
headquarters was, and received the usual intelligent answer,
' Over there ! ' accompanied by a nod of the head.

" He went on, followed by his batman, who was armed with
a stick, passed beyond the front line, and approached the pill-
box indicated. The occupants, thinking he had come to sur-
render, came out to welcome him in, and proved to be the
aforementioned garrison. The German officer advanced to
meet him, and each, thinking the other wanted to surrender,
placed a hand on the other one's shoulder, and signalled in which
direction to go.

" Meanwhile the batman, taking in the situation, slipped into
a pill-box and found an old Mauser rifle, with which he covered
the Huns. Neither side could fire because both officers were
in the line of fire. Both then backed away from each other
and turned and ran to their own lines."

The 531 d Brigade was due to attack on the 22nd, and the
54th had orders to stand by in support, two companies of the
Middlesex Regiment, under Major Warr, being sent up to Cane
Trench as counter-attack companies.

However, the whole battalion was pushed into the line again
that night, and took over a line east of Poelcapelle and astride
of the Spriet Road. Many S.O.Ss. were sent up during the night,
and were followed by barrage and counter-barrage, and a few
prisoners of the German 76th Regiment were captured.

The expected attack did not take place, and after being
withdrawn to " Dirty Bucket Camp " (a very appropriate
name for a very uncomfortable place), the Brigade afterwards
went on to " P " area (Woesten), where conditions were even
worse.

It was about this time (on October 22nd, to be exact) that
Brigadier-General L. de V. Sadleir-Jackson took over the com-
mand of the Brigade, and, as events proved, he was to lead us
through the rest of the war, except for an unlucky absence
through a wound in the closing months.

Now we moved into the Houthulst Forest sector, and that
health resort deserves a chapter to itself.

Chapter XII

HOUTHULST FOREST

■flT'HENEVER two or three officers of the. Brigade were
** gathered together, and we discussed this book, someone
was sure to say, " Put in a bad word for Houthulst Forest."

And so man}'- bad words were volunteered that if they were
printed here the book would be suppressed in the interests of
our national morals.

As a matter of fact, anyone can make a Houthulst Forest of
his own. It would make a nice war souvenir. Take a low-
l3dng swamp, crossed by streams which wander wherever they
like and never follow the same course two days running, and
dot a few trees over the area. Everything must be so flat that
the 20 contour, which is the highest ground, seems almost like
a mountain range.

That is the- raw material. Then you shell the place for
three years, till land and water are thoroughly mixed up, and
the few trees left standing are splintered skeletons. Every-
thing is now ready. You must walk some 8,000 yards across
this area in pitch darkness, with enemy shells constantly burst-
ing around, and shell-holes full of water or deep mud awaiting
you if you step off a W'Ooden track which is constantly being
blown to pieces or floating away. Now go ahead and enjoy
yourself, and have a real good time.

I forgot to mention that when you make your little pleasure
trip across the area you must first load yourself with all the
kit and stores that you can possibly carry, and then get a fellow
pleasure seeker to pile a few pounds more on top.*

The forest lies north of Ypres, and the Brigade had to hold
a line on the far side of the area of which I have just given an
all too rosy picture. Just why we wanted to get out in front
of it, and deny the Germans access to it, was tlie sort of thing
weary officers and men, trudging up to the front line, could
never understand. It all seemed an unnecessary piece of good
nature on our part to warn him so carefully away from a spot
where he would certainly get his feet quite wet. .

The front line was a particularly comfortable place, and
those on duty there used to crouch in mud and water and
wonder whether it was influence or merit, or just downright
hard luck, that got them the job. It consisted of shell-holes,
with breastworks that used to slide back into the holes, for no
trenches could be dug in the waterlogged ground. Behind the
line were a few captured pill-boxes, which served as company

117

ii8

and battalion headquarters ; but as the Germans had the posi-
tion of these to an inch, they came in for a good deal of artillery
attention.

The Germans occupied a mountain range at least ten feet high
in front of us, and naturally elected to keep out of the wet,
only sending down an outpost line at night. And wc sat in
our puddles and wondered whether it would be against the
Hague Convention and all the other rules for mitigating the
horrors of war if, one dark night, we slipped quietly away,
and left the Germans our puddles to sit in for a change.

Even the pill-boxes, to which men out in front looked back
as resorts of almost sinful luxury, were not the first class hotels
an Englishman visiting the Continent might desire or expect,
for they were at least four or six inches deep in a nasty smelling
essence of distilled German. Pump and drain as you might,
the low level and the cracked foundations allowed the water
to have the better of you.

Brigade headquarters were situated in a luxurious and com-
fortable pill-box some 7,500 yards from the front line. The
way up was along a track of duck-boards which wound among
the shell-holes, and often ended abruptly in a new shell-hole
if enemy artillery had been busy. Smashing up our duck-
board track was the chief German industry at this part of the
Une. This introduced fresh complications in the ever-engrossing
game of finding your way up in the dark. When the track
suddenly came to an end, and you stepped off into deep mud
to search for the next piece, it was highly probable that, after
splashing round in the dark, you would at last find another bit
of duck-board, begin to tramp wearily and warily along it,
only to discover that you had j;ot back to the old track and
were retracing your steps. That counted several points to the
German, for it was his laugh, and you began again.

As there are women and children present, I can't tell you
half the pet names we had for those miles of duck-boards.

Since the front line could not be visited by day, the little
garrisons in outlying shell-holes were booked for a long spell
in the wet when they had once reached their positions. It
was about this time that the real value of the steel helmet was
discovered, for it was found to make an excellent seat in the
mud.

Except during frost, the state of the ground made any really
serious attack with numbers an impossibility for either side at
this time of year. The Germans established this fact by careful
experiment. On a night of November they made an attack
on a Lewis-gun post and a part of the French line on our left.
The Germans came on well until their two lines were held up
by mud and water. Then Private M. Bristowe, of the Bedford-
shire Regiment, managed to get his gun team out into the open,

119

and enfiladed the lines while they were stuck in the mud. And
so that attack ended.

General Sadleir- Jackson has supplied the following notes
relating to these days, which will interest fellow-sufferers : —

" The number of guns at the disposal of the Brigade was very
considerable on paper, but a personal visit disillusioned one as
to the weight of metal that could be thrown to meet any emerr
gency. Many were found sitting on their tails, like plaintive
and patient sea-lions, in the beds of the Broombeck and Steen-
beck, having been washed away during the night.

" Though we were told that we had just gained a most im-
portant victory [Passchendaele Ridge] , and that we were masters
of the air, the sea, and the land, one could not help being a
little sceptical when being pursued down the duck-boards by
a specially attentive German plane, which had no difficulty in
thoroughly terrifying one with its machine gun, and then
quickly disappearing.

" One grey cold winter morning I staggered up the duck-
boards with Colonel [then Major] Percival, who was acting
Brigade-Major at the moment, and on arriving near a certain
well-known spot called ' Faldherbe cross-road ' [known to the
men as ' Fed-up cross-road '], the early morning German plane
came out to spy out the nakedness of the land. Out of sheer
joie de vivre he sailed over battalion and company headquarters
in turn, giving each a nice cheerful burst. I remember crouch-
ing under an extremely prickly and very thin hedge, watching
the pilot amusing himself, and cursing inwardly that no one
snugly sheltered in pill-boxes condescended even to notice his
presence. This sector was stiff with Vickers and Lewis guns,
and the plane was only 500 feet up, but the attractions of early
morning tea far outweighed those of early morning fighting.

" The bad weather conditions and the discomforts of the
front line involved heavy casualties from trench feet, as many
as 100 per battalion occurring after a tour of duty in the shell-
holes.

" This brought about the institution of the famous ' Pedi-
curia ' establishments. I fear my Staff Captain, who was in-
defatigable in his efforts to make the organization a success,
will go down to his grave with ' Pedicuria ' inscribed on his
heart. Scientifically, I believe there is a considerable difference
of opinion as to the actual value of this treatment. Be this as
it may, imagination plays the strongest part in our Uves, and
' Pedicuria ' became not only popular, but the rage, and trench
feet gradually disappeared.

" The system arranged that the man should march up in
his boots, change into dry socks and waders, then after a tour
of twenty-four hours undergo ' Pedicuria ' treatment at platoon
headquarters, change into dry socks and waders in support,
and finally march down in his boots. But this was not always

a success. Barbed wire cut the waders, and men's feet began
to swell so that they could not get their boots on, and conse-
quently had to walk out five miles in waders.

" One of the dangers of walking out in waders wtvs that if
you fell off the duck-boards into a shell-hole, you stood a good
chance of being drowned, as all equipment had to be pulled off
before you could be dragged out. Even if not drowned, you
rapidly assumed the colour of a boiled lobster, as all the water
in the shell-holes was strongly impregnated with Yellow Cross gas.

" I recollect passing Cinq Chemins, where there was a very
large shell-hole, and noticed a crowd of about ten people howling
with laughter. A wretched platoon commander had fallen into
the shell-hole, and was just keeping his head above water with
difficulty by hanging on to the sides. Every few minutes he
went under, and a spout like that from a whale shot up as he
came to the top spluttering. No one was interested in saving
the wretched officer ; all were enormously amused. It was, as
a matter of fact, an exceptionally dangerous spot to loiter in,
but this was completely forgotten in the amusement afforded
by the unfortunate officer. Such is the British soldier, and his
phlegm makes the world marvel.

" ' Pedicuria ' now being established, the next thing to do
was to wire the front, approximately a distance of about 2,500
yards, with practically no landmarks, the enemy posts being
about 50 to 100 yards distant. With the assistance of the whole
of the 55th Brigade and every available man of the 54th, carry-
ing parties 2,500 strong were organized. I would like here to
bear tribute to the good work of Captain Davies, 79th Company
R.E. [though I know he will curse me to his dying day for my
insistence upon the most minute attention to detail], who
successfully organized all the dumps. The ca/rying parties, with-
out exception, arrived at their destinations, and wiring parties,
composed of two specially trained battalions, the Middlesex and
the Bedfordshires, practically completed the task on one of the
dirtiest and blackest winter nights one can imagine. The work
was finally completed by the Northamptonshire Regiment and
the Fusiliers on the following night.

" Having got our ' Pedicuria ' establishments working, im-
proved the conditions of existence, and strengthened our de-
fences, we now turned our minds towards offensive patrols
against the enemy, as we were not satisfied that we had attained
the necessary moral superiority over his snipers and machine
gunners to make life comfortable. A great controversy had
arisen over the loss of a place called Turenne Crossing, and the
concensus of opinion was strongly in favour of its recapture,
the chief arguments advanced being that many of the pill-
boxes in the piquet and support lines were being rendered un-
inhabitable owing to machine-gun fire from the place. One
specially referred to was Egypt House.

" The long walk up the duck-boards, the fact that the front
line, and to a smaller degree battalion headquarters, could only
be visited at night, which was frequently dark and nearly
always wet, prevented frequent visits from the staffs of higher
formations. This probably led to false impressions regarding
the value of Turenne Crossing. To prove that it was of no great
value to the enemy, battalions and afterwards advanced Brigade
headquarters were established in Egypt House, which was im-
pregnable even to 8-inchers, and the Crossing itself was in a
hollow.

" There was some difference of opinion as to the actual dis-
tance between the Crossing and Egypt House, and accordingly
Major Shepherd personally measured it one night with a tape.
It was not a job to be taken up with enthusiasm — rather a
' windy ' affair, in fact — for there was always the chance that
the Germans would resent a British officer wandering around
with a tape in an area to which they laid claim. At last Major
Shepherd arrived safely back at Egypt House with a very
muddy tangle of tape, representing the actual distance, which
he proceeded to measure off on a yard stick. His story that he
had to elbow out of the way the Germans who crowded round
out of curiosity while he was measuring in their area is not
believed in the best circles."

It was now considered that the night positions of German
machine guns could be very well tackled by our Stokes mortars ;
but as retaliation was always possible, the gunners used to retire
as soon as they had fired a burst.

The only drawback was the sodden state of the ground,
which fnade it very difficult to get a solid base for the bed-
plate of the mortars. The tops of the pill- boxes in which com-
panies had their headquarters had an irresistible attraction for
the trench mortar officers, but as this brought down a prompt
"hate" from German artillery, the idea caused constant friction
between the Tock Emma people and the company officers.
One's sympathy was rather divided. The trench mortars had
to silence the machine guns, and company headquarters alone
afforded a satisfactory site for the mortars. On the other hand,
the company officers had to live, or attempt to live, through the
" hate " that would come down after the trench mortars had
done their little stunt and cleared off. But no one doubted the
enthusiasm of the trench mortar people, and they were always
most optimistic after they had done a shoot. According to
their reports, all the machine guns and gunners in the German
Army must have been seen flying through the air at one time
and another during this period, and shouts and screams were
always reported by observers after each burst.

" To show how extremely difficult it was in reality to mark
down German machine- guns [says General Sadleir- Jackson],

the following account of preparation for a raid bears on the
point : —

" The intelligence ofificer of the 12th Middlesex Regiment was
wounded on patrol, and it was decided that the offending
machine gun should be dealt with next night. The position
was absolutely certain. A preliminary reconnaissance to guard
against wire or advanced snipers was arranged. I arrived at
II p.m. at Egypt House to meet O.C. raid, and all details were
duly gone over. When I finally inquired whether all was clear
and understood, O.C. raid remarked : ' Oh yes, the arrange-
ments are excellent, but we have only just come from where
the gun is supposed to be, and there is no gun !' In point of
fact the gun was a full 400 yards farther away.

" A few nights previously I had occasion to visit the front
line with Captain Knight, my Stokes mortar ofificer. Un-
fortunately, the night was inky dark, and raining like a
deluge. Captain Knight, though an excellent cricketer, was
very short-sighted, and I fear that on this occasion his Chinese
Mandarin spectacles became like wet window-panes, and of
scanty use. This was very unfortunate, as it entailed his
missing the kinks in the duck-boards every hundred yards,
with a consequent toss into a shell-hole. Not unnaturally our
progress was slow, but a complete stop had to be made when I
missed the thing and went clean into a shell-hole up to my
middle, thus filling my waders and rendering myself quite
immobile. In fact, I was stuck so fast that Captain Knight
had to lift me out of the waders, which we scraped out after-
wards. Our walk, normally of two hours, took us four and a
half hours."

While the Fusiliers were going into line for one of their tours
of duty. Captain O. C. Whiteman, who had taken over the duties
of adjutant on Captain Cumberlege being appointed Brigade
Major, was killed. He was going up Hunter Street, about ten
minutes in advance of the battalion, with Major Ford, second-
in-command, and a runner. The Bosches were shelling our
particular spot in the track, sending over about one shell a
minute from a 4-2 howitzer. When Major Ford and Captain
Whiteman got within thirty yards of this spot, they reached a
concrete pill-box, and decided to remain behind it until the
next shell came, and then to double across the shelled area.
Unfortunately, the next shell landed just over the pill-box
almost on top of them, killing Whiteman and wounding the
runner, Fletcher.

" Whiteman [writes a fellow-ofificer] was one of the oflScers
who originally came to France with the nth Royal Fusiliers.
He was a very smart adjutant, and another of the cheery ones —
a very witty fellow, and an asset to any mess."

The Brigade commander's habit of wandering about the line,
especially in unhealthy spots, led to some g,musing encounters.

123

He had visited a headtjuarters near the front line, and induced
a rather reluctant officer to accompany him on a somewhat
dangerous tour. The tour was safely completed, and it was
thought that he had gone back, but suddenly his unmistakable
voice was heard again outside the headquarters, and a voice
from inside, in a loud wliisper that he could not possibly miss,
asked anxiously : " Is that the old — — back again ? "

That is a story the General likes to tell against himself.
Another of his favourites concerns a certain company sergeant-
major, who, when he visited Panama House during a rather
lively "strafe," said, "We don't want no dead Brigadiers
around our pill-box," and threw him inside.

There was, as a matter of fact, a good deal of excitement at
Panama House that day, for the Germans, who had been turned
out of the place once, were showing signs of wanting it back
again. What happened is best told by the General himself : —

" Major Percival and I, on reaching Faldherbe cross-road,
en route for Ajax House, battalion headquarters, thought good
to visit the company headquarters first, as a certain amount
of artillery activity was making itself apparent. I would remark
that this residence boasted about six square feet of standing-
room. A few minutes after our arrival it was perfectly obvious
that great things were afoot. Ominous orders were being issued
by the company commander, and his servant actually ceased
making tea and commenced to load his revolver. There was
great activity amongst the Vickers gunners, who formed part
of the defence, and much firing, mostly in the opposite direction
from that from which the attack was expected.

" An exhausted runner arrived and stated that the Germans
were coming down the road eight deep, hundreds had been
slaughtered, the platoon was still holding its ground, but six
more Lewis guns were required to deal adequately with the
situation.

" About this moment, from the entrance to the pill-box, ex-
clamations of great excitement began to arise. These were
eventually traced to the Vickers gunners, who discovered they
had no water in their casing, and no more belts of ammunition.
The company sergeant-major apparently considered that the
moment had arrived when some decisive action was necessary,
and proceeded to emerge from the bunk at the back of the
pill-box. Six other human beings had previously emerged.
He expressed himself somewhat trenchantly and to the point,
and I regret to say that I fell under the ban of his displeasure.
' We don't want no dead Brigadiers round our pill-box !' was
the admonition I received, and with this I found myself hurled
back into the struggling mass of humanity.

" In about twenty minutes' time, having collected Major
Colley, the battalion commander, we visited the scene of the
contest. The platoon commander, revolver in hand, first pull-

124

off already gone, embraced me and inquired whether he was to
be court-martialled for sending up an S.O.S. The total pick-up
was one dead German !"

As already mentioned, our front line consisted of a line of out-
posts in shell-holes, and the ground had been so battered and
pulped by artillery and water that it was sometimes rather
difficult to say where our area left off and the Germans' began.
This led to some awkward moments, as it was always possible
to wander into the German lines by mistake. One of our wiring
parties, put out to do a night job, found next morning that they
had carefully wired in a German post instead of our own. The
Germans appear to have sat quiet through the whole proceedings,
probably only too glad to have the work done for them.

But that wiring party was not half so disgusted as a certain
German sergeant-major who came striding into our lines one
night, and was very surprised at being taken prisoner. He was
off on leave, and had taken the wrong turning.

These geographical difficulties lent a quite unnecessary excite-
ment to front-line work. It would, for instance, be difficult to
improve on the official account of the brisk few minutes in which
Private T. Wright, of the Fusiliers, won the M.M. : —

" In the Houthulst Forest sector, on the night of Novem-
ber 24th-25th, 191 7, he was accompanying his platoon officer,
who was visiting his front line posts, when an enemy patrol was
seen approaching. The officer and Private Wright, who were
in No Man's Land at the time, allowed the patrol to get close
to the post, and then placed themselves between the patrol
and the enemy's lines, and called upon the patrol to surrender.

" The patrol, consisting of an officer and a corporal, attempted
to get away, but were prevented from doing so by Private
Wright, who shot the German officer in the thigh, and then
knocked down the corporal, who offered considerable resistance,
and moreover was a strong opponent, standing at least six feet
one inch in height, and strongly built. The two were made
prisoners, and valuable documents and other information was
obtained from them."

And there is a certain battalion transport officer who nearly
delivered the rations and rum to the Germans one night. In
his more cheery moments he looks back on the episode with
some pride, and calls it " The great cavalry break-through."
But he'd better tell the story himself : —

" It was in November, 191 7, and the Brigade was amusing
itself imitating submarines opposite Houthulst Forest. It was
decided that rations should be taken up as close to the line as
possible, owing to the awful state of the ground, and Egypt
House was decided upon as the spot where I should dump the
bully and other luxuries.

" By the time we had reached the charming old-world village
of Koekuit [ex-mud-wallowers of the Brigade will remember it]

1^5

it was as black as — well, as black as a dirty night in the Salient —
and on that account 1 missed the turning to the right.

" I strode cheerfully on, with my mules all marching strictly
to attention behind me, till at last I remarked to my sergeant
that we seemed to be getting rather close to the Very hghts.
He agreed heartily, and we called a halt. Spotting a pill-box
a little to my right-rear, I decided to drop in for a drink and
information.

" I got off the track and struck across country for the pill-
box, and had got about half-way when suddenly four heads
popped up out of the ground, and someone wanted to know
all about it. I tried to explain, and asked who they were,
and what they were doing. They said that they were ' B '
C"x)mpany, holding the line, and their officer was in the pill-box.
I crawled in there, and found that the war had taken a nasty
turn, for my mules with the rations and rum were some 150
yards out in No Man's Land. A little farther and we should
have handed them over to Jerry.

" I ran out, and with a very quiet ' About turn !' made those
mules come back on tip-toes, and so the British cavalry didn't
break through after all."

The Brigade had the good fortune to be out of the line at
Christmas-time, resting and training in the comparative peace
and goodwill of the Haringhe area.

Here it was that the Brigade cinema, which had been bought
out of canteen funds, gave its first show on the night of Decem-
ber 1 8th. Two nights later the " Vin Blongs," the Brigade
concert party, * also gave its first show. Unfortunately, this
was followed by disaster. Soon after it was finished a fire broke
out in the hut, and within half an hour piano, stage, costumes,
etc., were a heap of ashes. However, the show was set going
again three days later, with borrowed costumes and scenery
composed of blankets, and for over a year the " Vin Blongs "
remained a welcome feature of leisure moments out of the line.

The year ended on a note of tragedy. On December 31st a
trench-mortar demonstration was being held when a shell went
off prematurely, causing all the remaining ammunition by the
gun to explode. About seven were killed and six wounded,
including Major Podmore, commanding the 12th Middlesex
Regiment, killed, and Major Harrison, his second-in-command,
wounded.

On January loth the Brigade was again in the line, but was
out again by the end of the month, and on February yth began
its move to the south, where it was destined to take part in the
hard fighting of the last German offensive.

Chapter XIII

THE MARCH RETREAT

T^HE move in February, 1918, was from Farthest North to
•^ Farthest South, orders being for the Brigade, together with the
rest of the Division, to join the Fifth Army on the extreme right
of the British Hne. This was a part of the plan for reinforcing
our front on the sector in which, as Sir Douglas Haig rightly
anticipated, the Germans were to make their last great effort
of the war.

No one was sorry to leave the north. Whatever atmosphere
of heroism or romance may cling to the Ypres salient, those
whose daily task it was to build up its traditions were too close
to the picture to appreciate its beauty, and for sheer discomfort
and unhealthiness they will give full marks to the Houthulst
Forest sector.

The move was completed on February loth, when the Brigade
found itself south of St. Quentin, in the Noyon area. Brigade
headquarters were in the Chateau at Morlincourt, and the bat-
talions were billeted around — the Fusiliers at Behericourt, the
Bedfordshire Regiment in Salency, and the Northamptonshire
Regiment in Morlincourt. The Middlesex Regiment was in
Noyon for one night, and on the nth moved to Muirancourt.

A glance at the map will show that, as in the British offensive
on the Somme in 19 16, the 54th Brigade was nearly on the
extreme right of the British line. The Fifth Army joined up
with the French just south of Barisis, in the Forest of St. Gobain,
less than twenty miles from where the Brigade had now arrived,
and from where it was thrown into the line a few weeks later to
play its part in stemming the German onrush. As it was fully
realized, at any rate in the higher commands, that the Germans
would make their great offensive at this point, with a view to
breaking through between the French and the British Armies,
and rolling up our line in a great sweep on Amiens, the Brigade
could congratulate itself on being at the post of honour and
danger.

The enemy promptly greeted its arrival. An air raid was
made over its billeting area on the evening of February nth,
the Bedfordshire Regiment losing ten killed and eight wounded,
a bomb falling on a barn in which a platoon was sheltered,
and another falling within 150 yards of the Chateau where
Brigade headquarters were situated.

On the following day, February 12th, happy associations of
over three years' standing were broken up by the departure

126

127

of the 1 2th Middlesex Regiment. The reorganization of Brigades
on a three-battalion basis meant that in each Brigade the junior
battalion (reckoned by its old regimental number) must be
struck off. Service battalions were necessarily temporary units
— for the duration of the war or less, as required — but they had
built up for themselves traditions and an esprit de corps of which
every officer and man was rightly proud, and it was a sad
moment for the 12th " Die-hards " and for their comrades in
the Brigade when they ceased to exist. A number of officers
and other ranks remained with the Brigade to reinforce the
remaining battalions, drafts were sent to other units, and the
rest of the battalion went to form the i8th Entrenching Battalion.

The scheme of defence in this sector involved the distribution
of troops in depth, and three defensive belts were constructed,
the three remaining battalions of the Brigade taking their part
in the necessary digging, during the latter days of February.
Finally, on February 27th, the Brigade moved up to Caillouel
as Corps Reserve, or counter-attack Brigade, less the Bed-
fordshires, who were sent forward to Rouez, just west of the
Canal Junction at Tergnier, to carry on further work in the
battle zone.

There was little more to be done now but to wait for the
German onset. Training, with special attention to counter-
attack formation, was carried on almost daily, working parties
were still frequent, and there was constant reconnaissance of
the battle zone. Of all these activities the Germans took little
notice, and there was an almost uncanny silence over the whole
front. Caillouel itself was a pleasant village, and everyone had
pleasant billets — the last little bit of comfort the Brigade was
to have for many a long day of hard fighting. Competitions
of every kind were organized to make the training more in-
teresting, and there was much spectacular night firing by Lewis
guns with the aid of Very lights.

In such spare time as there was battalions organized enter-
tainments for the men and dinners for the officers, and by the
igth all had fully recovered from their hard times in the salient,
and were ready for anything.

So the eventful day drew near. There were many " windy "
rumours on and around March i8th, and on March 20th came
orders to stand to, ready to move.

It was still dark on the morning of March 21st when a terrific
German bombardment began — " the most terrific roar of guns
we have ever heard," is the verdict of surviving members of
the Brigade, all connoisseurs of bombardments by this time.
The great push had started, and along the whole of our front
gas and high-explosive shells from every variety of gun and
trench mortars were being hurled over.

Everyone realized that the great ordeal for which they had
been training and planning for weeks was upon them.

128

It had been the custom during the past week for a lorry to
report at 9.30 every morning at Rouez to take officers of the
Bedfordshire Regiment to reconnoitre the hne. Punctually at
9.30 that morning the lorry driver reported to Colonel Percival
for orders. The lorry came in very useful, as it was put at the
disposal of Captain Fergusson, the Brigade amusements officer,
who had been " showing " at Rouez Camp the previous night,
and had all his pierrot kit and cinema there, with no means of
getting it away. But for this lorry the kit and cinema would
probably have been lost.

The " Vin Blongs " got back safely to Caillouel, and there
began their grand trek to Noyon. One of the party found a
perambulator, another a wheelbarrow, and so they journeyed
along the Noyon road, clinging like grim death to their costumes
and rations. They wandered all iaver the place for two weeks,
and finally rejoined the Brigade at Boutillerie. All their cos-
tumes and properties were lost on the Brigade dump at Noyon,
so for the second time in their career they had to start afresh.

To return to the events of March 21st. Shortly before
10 a.m. the Germans launched an attack on a front of fifty-four
miles, from the River Oise (near the spot where the Brigade
now stood ready) to the Sensee.

To appreciate what followed one must understand the odds
our troops were facing. Sir Douglas Haig's comparison of the
forces engaged, in his despatch on these operations (published
in the London Gazette of October 21st, 1918), is as follows ; —

" In all, at least sixty-four German Divisions took part in
the operations of the first day of the battle, a number con-
siderably exceeding the total forces composing the entire British
Army in France.

" To meet this assault the Third Army disposed of eight
Divisions in line in front of the enemy's initial attack, with
seven Divisions available in reserve. The Fifth Army disposed
of fourteen Divisions and three Cavalry Divisions, of which
three Infantry Divisions and three Cavalry Divisions were in
reserve. The total British force on the original battle-front,
therefore, on the morning of March 21st was twenty-nine In-
fantry Divisions and three Cavalry Divisions, of which nineteen
Infantry Divisions were in the line."

The day had been well chosen for the attack. To quote
again from Sir Douglas Haig's despatch : — -

" Favoured by a thick white fog, which hid from our artillery
and machine guns the S.O.S. signal sent up by our outpost
line, and in numbers which made loss of direction impossible,
the attacking German infantry forced their way into our fore-
most defensive zone. Until i.o p.m. the fog made it impossible
to see more than fifty yards in any direction, and the machine
guns and forward. field guns, which had been disposed so as to
cover this zone with their fire, were robbed almost entirely of

< c
-3 n.

= 1

129

their effect. The detachments holding the outpost positions
were consequently overwhelmed or surrounded, in many cases
before they were able to pass back information concerning the
enemy's attack."

When the bombardment opened, the Brigade was still at
Caillouel, less the Bedfordshire Regiment at liouez. Shortly
after 8 a.m. orders were received to proceed to a position of
readiness in the Bois de Tombelle, with Brigade headquarters
at the little village of Faillouel, just west of the Crozat Canal,
that was to play such an important part in the operations of
the next few days. The journey up was made in lorries, and
was completed by midday.

By this time the enemy, assisted by a long spell of dry weather,
had crossed the Oise River and Canal north of La Fere and south
of St. Quentin, between Essigny and Benay. This situation
had to be dealt with, if only to gain time, and shortly after
I p.m. orders came by telephone for the Brigade to counter-
attack at once to regain the " Camisole Switch " (a part of the
defensive system dug by our battahons) between Montescourt
and Ly Fontaine, on the farther side of the Crozat Canal. The
Germans were reported to be in Gibercourt, about half-way
between these two villages.

With advanced and fiank guards, the three battalions were
moved across the canal to the south edge of the Montescourt — -
Ly Fontaine Ridge, moving through wooded valleys till the
Fusiliers on the left were at Montescourt and the Northampton-
shire Regiment on the right at Remigny. The Bedfordshire
Regiment was in reserve, sending one company to hold the high
ground east of Ly Fontaine.

The attack was launched at dusk, and met with very slight
opposition, the whole of the "Camisole Switch " being occupied
as ordered soon after 7 p.m.

By this time the situation, obscure as it necessarily was at
the time to those on the spot, had developed rapidly. Fargnier
and Quessy, on the Crozat Canal, about five miles south of the
Brigade, had been captured by the Germans towards the end
of the afternoon, and it was obvious that all British troops
east of the canal must be withdrawn. Thus the Brigade had
no sooner occupied the " Camisole Switch," and settled down to
consolidate, than orders came to form a rearguard covering the
retirement of the 14th Division over the canal, and, that job
accomplished, to withdraw themselves behind the canal and
hold the line at that point.

To follow properly the adventures and misadventures of each
battalion during the next few days would Jill a volume of in-
dividual reminiscences, if they were forthcoming. It was a
time when every company and platoon — indeed, every section —
made its own history and had its own point of view, though
by good leadership and splendid co-operation by all concerned

I30

the Brigade always remained a united and (to coin a word)
" handleable " formation.

Of the withdrawal to the canal an officer of the Fusiliers
writes : —

" Orders were given for the battalion to assemble at a certain
map reference and march back to J ussy. Alas for maps and
map-reading ! ' A ' Company and battalion headquarters
formed up in one field, and the other companies could not be
found. I spent an anxious hour looking for them, and found
them eventually through running accidentally into Major
Deakin, who was commanding ' C ' Company. They had been
within 400 yards of us all the time. Then followed the march
back to Jussy. By this time everyone was very hungry and
thoroughly tired out, and I shall never forget the welcome
sight of the cookers, in charge of Captain Minchin — than whom
there was never a better quartermaster or more dearly-loved
comrade."

It was after midnight when the withdrawal was completed,
and the Brigade held the line Jussy-Mennessis, between the rail-
way embankment and the canal. Orders had been given to
destroy the canal bridges. It is, happily, not necessary in this
book to discuss why the job was not properly carried out.
General Sadleir- Jackson himself made every effort to see that
the work was done, and at one time the Bedfordshires were
making vain attempts to destroy the Montague bridges with
trench-mortar shells. But the fact remains that the bridges
had not been prepared for demolition, adequate supplies of
explosives were not on the spot, and the bridges were not
properly destroyed.

Soon after daylight on March 22 nd the enemy, helped again
by fog, massed for a great attack on the canal crossings on the
Brigade front. The canal makes a sharp bend north of Jussy,
and machine guns were able to enfilade the village, so that
the Fusiliers holding the left of our line had an extremely un-
comfortable time and movement became difficult. Field guns
and trench mortars opened heavily on the whole of the Brigade
front, and 5"9's were paying unhealthy attention to Faillpuel
to our rear.

The early evening saw some bitter fighting. Strong assaults
were delivered on the Jussy and Montague bridges, and at both
points the enemy secured a footing on our side of the canal.
A counter-attack by " B " Company of the Northamptonshire
Regiment, hurried up from support, restored the situation on our
left, and the Germans were thrown back across the canal. By
this time cavalry had been sent to reinforce the hard-pressed
infantry, and the Brigade had twenty-seven of the 20th Hussars
and thirty Royal Scots Greys, with four cavalry machine guns,
in the line with them.

131

The situation at the Montagne bridge, where the enemy had
crossed, was dealt with in the afternoon by three companies of
the Northamptonshire Regiment ("A," " C," and " D ") and
one company of the Bedfordshire Regiment, who counter-
attacked in great style and drove the Germans to the other
side of the canal, taking three machine guns and several prisoners,
and re-estabhshing a bridge-head with a Lewis gun. In this
counter-attack the Northamptonshire Regiment lost 2nd-Lieu-
tenant Pointer (attached from the Middlesex Regiment) killed,
and Captain Fawkes, and-Lieutenant Jones, and 2nd-Lieutenant
Woodland wounded.

It was at this time that 2nd-Lieutenant A. C. Herring, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, did the magnificent work for
which he was afterwards awarded the V.C. The official account
reads as follows : —

"On March 23 rd the Germans crossed the Montagne bridge, after
severe fighting, and gained a position on the south bank of the
canal. 2nd-Lieutenant Herring's post was cut off from the troops
on both flanks and surrounded. He at once counter-attacked with
his post and recaptured the position, taking over twenty prisoners
and six machine guns. The post was attacked continuously
throughout the night for eleven hours, and all attacks were
beaten off. This was entirely due to the splendid heroism dis-
played by 2nd-Lieutenant Herring, who continually visited his
men personally throughout the night and cheered them up.
The initiative and individual bravery of this officer were entirely
responsible for holding up the German advance for eleven hours
at an exceedingly critical period. The magnificent heroism
and personal bravery of this officer, coupled with his initiative
and skill in handling his troops, were most important factors
in holding up the German advance over the Crozat Canal."

Darkness closed in on that day of hard and bitter fighting,
and still the line of the canal was held. During the night the
enemy contented himself with snipftig and bursts of machine-
gun fire.

Captain H. C. Browning, then adjutant of the Bedfordshire
Regiment, whom many will remember as Acting-Staff-Captain
at a later stage, won his M.C. that day. " The enemy [according
to the official account] attacked with large forces, crossed a
bridge which had not been demolished, and succeeded in push-
ing back the left flank of the battalion. He was immediately
counter-attacked and thrown back across the canal. This was
largely due to Captain Browning, who displayed the greatest
coolness and magnificent leadership in collecting and organ-
izing the men and launching the counter-attack at a critical
moment under intense artillery and machine-gun fire."

Things had looked so bad for the Bedfordshire Regiment at
one time on the afternoon of the 22nd that, with the enemy
within about 200 yards of the battalion headquarters. Colonel

132

Percival and Captain Browning destroyed all maps and secret
documents to prevent their falling into German hands.

When day broke on the 23rd the weather still favoured the
Germans. Fog was thick over the rivers and canals and in
the little valleys, so that he could bring up fresh masses of troops
unseen. Then, when he had made his preparations, the fog
suddenly lifted as though rolled up by the German staff, and
low-flying enemy aeroplanes came over, coolly examining the
dispositions of our thin line of defence.

Our own patrols, pushed out into the fog, soon found that the
enemy had forced a passage over the canal at J ussy, and was
coming on our left flank (Royal Fusiliers) in some force. A
little handful of a mixed force was thrown at him in counter-
attack — a weak platoon of Fusiliers and thirty Royal Scots
Greys — and he was pushed back into the village.

A patrol was sent into Jussy, and found the place strongly
held by the enemy. A detachment of Northumberland Hussars,
with Hotchkiss gims, who had just reported to the Brigade as
reinforcements, were pushed out to strengthen this weak left
flank. A little later the Canadian Mounted Brigade sent up
four machine gims, and these were put out on the same flank,
where they did some magnificent work.

At about II a.m. the Bedfordshire Regiment reported
the enemy across the canal in strength in the cemetery at
Mennessis. Later came news of the enemy marching down
the Jussy-Faillouel road, and shortly after midday they were
reported in the Bois de Frieres in our rear.

The Fusiliers had been having a very bad time of it. " The
fog was thicker than the London pea-soup variety," says the
Fusilier officer whom I have already quoted, " and parties of
Bosches began to trickle in on both flanks and to cut off parties
of our men in the advanced positions. In this way we suffered
a considerable number of casualties, including Major Deakin
and Captain Pearcy, who were taken prisoners. Lieutenant
Simmons and Lieutenant Knott, who were killed, and several
other officers who were wounded. Lieutenant Knott, having
killed four Bosches with his revolver, and having exhausted his
ammunition, was killed while clubbing a fifth.

" A fresh line of defence was now formed about 200 yards
behind the canal, but matters were in a very confused state,
to which the fog greatly contributed, and when the Brigade
staff found that the enemy were well through on both flanks,
orders were given to withdraw towards Frieres Faillouel. These
orders reached the other battalions of the Brigade while the fog
was still intense, and they were able to withdraw with com-
paratively slight losses. The company of the Fusiliers to which
the writer was attached never received these orders, and as far
as can be ascertained they were never received by anyone in
the front line.

133

" About midday the fog suddenly lifted. We then found that
the Bosche was in front, and that parties were working round
in rear on both flanks, and we were subjected to terrible machine-
gun fire. At about 2 p.m. the position became untenable,
and an attempt was made to withdraw by those in a position
to get away, while the remainder were forced to surrender.

" The few who escaped withdrew behind the railway line,
about 600 yards farther west, where another stand was made
with the help of headquarters' details ; but again we were out-
flanked and compelled to withdraw with the utmost haste and
more or less in disorder. The Colonel held out here with a few
men until the Bosches were within 100 yards of him, and then
managed to escape unhurt, thanks to their bad marksman-
ship."

Many officers and other ranks of the Fusiliers distinguished
themselves by good work during these desperate hours. Among
other officers who won the IVI.C. were Captains H. W. BroCrkling
and H. L. Smedley.

Captain Brooklin.g " for fourteen hours defended the position
held by his company on the canal line against repeated attempts
by the enemy in large numbers to cross. The thick mist made
this extremely difficult, and it was by his personal example
and skilful handling that the enemy were frustrated, with con-
siderable losses. Eventually he was badly wounded, but con-
tinued to encourage his men with the utmost disregard of danger.
His untiring work prevented the piercing of the Brigade front
at the junction of the battalions."

Captain (then 2nd-Lieutenant) Smedley 's action is thus
officially described : —

" At dawn on March 23rd the enemy forced the canal and
occupied the village on the left of the battalion, leaving the
flank of the Royal Fusihers in the air. The situation was
obscure, and 2nd-Lieutenant Smedley scouted right out to the
flank and up to the village under heavy machine-gun fire. This
highly valuable work was carried out with the greatest pluck
and determination. During the subsequent withdrawal 2nd-
Lieutenant Smedley, although wounded, carried his task to
completion by covering the left flank."

A D.C.M. was well won by Private H. Jordan, a company
signaller. When the Fusiliers were being withdrawn, he was
called upon to surrender with some others by the enemy. " He
immediately, on his own initiative, organized a number of men
for an attack, and led them, with the result that the enemy
were driven back at the point of the bayonet, and the remainder
of the company was able to withdraw in safety. He was wounded
in the attack, but continued until the withdrawal was complete,
and then rejoined his company."

Sergeant W. Brisby, M.M., also won the D.C.M. at this time.
" He did very useful work by sniping at the enemy, and caused

134

the withdrawal of an enemy machine-gun team. Later, when
his company was at last forced to surrender, he assisted in rally-
ing the men who were prepared to attempt to rush back over
ground swept by machine-gun fire. On reaching battalion
headquarters he was instructed to accompany an officer to
Brigade to report on the position. He begged to be excused,
and rejoined the remnant of his battalion, who were making
their last stand under heavy fire, and was wounded, but escaped
capture."

It was shortly after midday on the 23rd when the Brigade
commander decided, in view of the enveloping nature of the Ger-
man movement on our front, to withdraw to the ridge south
of Faillouel. Soon after this line had been taken up, early in
the afternoon, came further welcome reinforcements in the shape
of 200 of the Canadian Mounted Brigade (Fort Garry Horse
and Lord Strathcona's Horse), who were pushed out to our
front.

By 4 p.m. it was seen that a further withdrawal would be
necessary. The enemy shelled and seized a hill north-west of
Faillouel, and, bringing up machine guns and trench mortars,
made the position of our troops north of the village impossible.
They accordingly fell back fighting through Faillouel, where
Germans had already arrived in lorries. Heavy hostile shelling
and machine-gun fire continued ; machine guns had us in enfilade
from the north edge of Genlis Wood, and eventually the Brigade
had to be withdrawn and concentrated at Caillouel.

During the day a gallant piece of work was done by Lieutenant
C. E. J. Richardson, with Nos. 3 and 4 sections of the 8oth
Field Company R.E. They were at Rouez, and carried out a
little counter-attack on their own initiative, driving the enemy
from some high ground to the east of the village. Indeed,
they drove the enemy so far that they were themselves eventu-
ally almost surrounded, and had to fight their way back.

Thus ended an eventful and costly day. The Fusiliers,
having held the most exposed flank of our line on the canal,
and suffered heavily in the fighting and withdrawal in the fog,
were now only two officers and twenty-five other ranks strong.
The Bedfordshire and the Northamptonshire Regiments had
each about six officers and 200 other ranks.

Splendid work had been done by the cavalry reinforcements
attached to the Brigade — the Canadians, the Scots Greys, the
20th Hussars, and the Northumberland Hussars. The latter
had all their Hotchkiss guns knocked out by shell fire, but
brought them out of action.

It was obvious that a lot of trouble was still in store, but
the Brigade still had their tails well up, and remained " full
o' heart," to use a phrase which was becoming a sort of Brigade
motto. Though badly battered, they had done their job, and
remained an organized body, and everything possible was done

135

to keep them fit and fresh for further ordeals. Therefore, after
a good meal, everyone who could be spared was sent to bed,
and thus had the last good night's sleep they were to enjoy
for some time.

On the following morning (March 24th) battalions were
paraded and reorganized. " Battle surplus " had been picked
up at Caillouel, and was used as reinforcements, and a few
stragglers had come in. Thus the Fusihers now became a
battalion of eight officers and about 180 other ranks, including
transport and other details. Three companies were formed —
"X," " Y," and " Z " — the latter consisting of the orderly-
room sergeant and clerks, drums, police, pioneers, tailors,
shoemakers, etc., under command of the adjutant. Captain
Wattenbach.

As soon as this was done the Brigade was ordered to hold
the high ground east of Caillouel, gaining touch with the French
(gth Cuirassiers) on the left about Beaugies, and the 55th In-
fantry Brigade on the north edge of Caillouel. The Bedford-
shire Regiment was put in the line on the left, and the North-
amptonshire Regiment on the right, with the Fusiliers in reserve
behind the Crepigny Ridge.

There were slight patrol encounters during the day, and the
5th Royal Horse Artillery Brigade, supporting our line, engaged
some targets effectively. But on the whole things were fairly
quiet, though it was realized that the situation was developing
rapidly on our left, where a strong German attack, after stiff
fighting, drove the French out of Guivry.

With the object of finding out the exact position on our left
officer patrols were sent out after dark towards Beaugies, then
understood to be still held by the French. Soon after 9 p.m.
it was learned that the Germans were over the east edge of
Beaugies and on the road to Maucourt, towards which village
the French were retiring.

Some patrols achieve information, others have it thrust upon
them. In the latter class comes a patrol sent out that night
under Captain Wattenbach, of the Fusiliers. He started out
to have a look along the road which runs north from Crepigny
and through a thick wood to Beaugies. Five of his own men
and a Frenchman went with him. The following is his account
of what happened :—

" We strolled out, just armed with rifles and revolvers, put-
ting points out in the usual way. We went on and on, taking care
to make no noise, and came across nobody, but got thoroughly
tired, having walked about two and a half miles under very
nervy conditions after a very hard day. Very shortly we
saw the end of the wood, and, approaching very slowly and
cautiously, we found a group of about twenty-five or thirty men
in the centre of the road, evidently, we thought, a British or
French standing patrol. I looked very carefully, and it entered

136

my head that it might not be one of ours ; then I noticed one
or two people creeping up under cover on both sides of the
road, with the obvious intention of enveloping us. I looked
again at the crowd in the road, and Field Service Regulations
at once came to my mind. 1 had learned that bayonets should
never be fixed on a moonlight night on patrol duty ; these
people had their bayonets fixed, and they were short, broad
bayonets. Then I heard gruff voices [they were not very far
away then], and I knew at once they were Bosches.

" I had one Frenchman and five of our own men with me —
not much match for thirty odd Bosches. I remembered, also,
that we were about two and a half miles from what I believed
to be the nearest British troops. We did not go hot-headed
for them and fire all the rounds we had, because we should have
been overwhelmed, and discretion, at such a period, I take to
be the better part of valour. We did not waste much time in
getting back to our battalion and reporting that nobody was
in touch on the left, and that the line was very much discon-
nected.

" On the following day we found that the enemy was well
round the other side of the spur, so that on the previous night
we must have penetrated to a considerable depth in his lines."

At midnight (March 24th — 25th) the withdrawal began, and by
2 a.m. on the 25th the Brigade was roughly on the Crepigny line.
Except that heavy firing could be heard from our left, the situa-
tion in that direction was still obscure, and at daylight General
Sadleir-Jackson, with his liaison officer — Lieutenant Lee, of the
Fusiliers — and two mounted men, rode off to see how things
looked at Maucourt.

That cleared up the obscurity in no uncertain way, for from
Cave Woods, overlooking Maucourt, German columns, with
bugles blowing, could be seen marching along the road to
Quesny. At the same time heavy firing could be heard from
the Guiscard direction, a little farther north.

A little later Captain Cumberlege, then the Brigade-Major,
saw from the Grandru spur (or Montague de Grandru) a column
of German troops and transport in column of route in the
valley to the north, all marching along in great spirits, with a
band leading. A couple of machine guns were got up and
opened unexpectedly on the column, putting the transport to
flight and inflicting several casualties. It was all very cheerful,
but, like all the hard lighting of that morning, it could only
delay the inevitable retreat.

As an illustration of the inevitable confusion when mixed
bodies of troops under different commands are withdrawing
before an enemy who is trying to hustle them, an experience of
the Northamptonshires is interesting. The battalion was being
withdrawn in artillery formation, and the leading platoon had
just got over a crest when they suddenly came under lively

137

machine-gun fire from the opposite ridge. Though the general
situation was known to be obscure, it appeared impossible that
the Germans had got so far round to our rear. After a while
the fire died down, and the battalion got forward. Later on
the ridge from which the fire had been opened was reached, and
French troops were found in position with machine guns. Some
mild remonstrance was made at their action in firing at us,
and they were disinclined to admit any responsibility until a
tin of bully beef was produced from an officer's haversack with
one of their bullets sticking in it. It is only fair to say that
they apologized very handsomely then over this rather awkward
case of mistaken identity.

Things now began to move rapidly. It was evident that the
Germans were moving in force to turn the woods to our north,
and possibly to cut off our retreat over the Oise River and Canal
bridges to the south of us. The position is best explained to
those who do not know the ground by imagining that we were
on the Thames Embankment between Northumberland Avenue
and Westminster. The enemy are in Whitehall. If they move
down ^^'hitehall and round by Big Ben towards the river, they
will obviously prevent us from retreating by way of Westminster
Bridge. All the buildings between us and Whitehall represent
the woods round which the Germans were working, with Beaugies
and Quesny somewhere on the Horse Guards Parade. Of course,
this represents the actual scene of the fighting on a very small
scale.

To make sure that the enemy did not get on the Maucourt-
Grandru road before the retirement was completed, the Fusiliers
were sent to occupy the Montagne de Grandru, facing north,
and the retirement, in conjunction with the French (gth Cuiras-
siers) and the 55th Infantry Brigade, began at 8.30 on the 25th.

At about II a.m. machine-gun fire was heard from the direc-
tion of Behericourt, and heavy artillery fire from the direction
of the Httle village of Baboeuf. Following the illustration just
given, this practically meant that some of the enemy had got
on the Thames Embankment near the lower end of Northumber-
land Avenue. Shells and bullets began to fall among the
Fusili-irs, and there were all the makings of a very ticklish and
unpleasant situation. A little later the Maucourt-Grandru road
was receiving a great deal too much attention from artillery
and machine guns near the point where it ran round the spur
on which the Fusiliers were perched.

To extricate the Fusiliers and cover the retreat, the Bedford-
shire Regiment was withdrawn by platoons to the Montagne
de Behericourt, a further stage on the westward road to the
bridge by which we must cross. (Call it Westminster Bridge,
if you have followed the little illustration already referred to.)

This manoeuvre was carried out, the Fusiliers were got back
by platoons, under artillery and machine-gun fire, and finally

138

the line at Behericourt was held on the left by some French
troops who had come up (ist Dismounted Cavalry Division),
and the Northamptonshire Regiment, and the Fusiliers and
Bedfordshire Regiment were withdrawn into reserve.

All seemed now ready to make the crossing to the south side
of the Oise River and Canal, and the Fusiliers and Bedfordshire
Regiment were ordered to march on the Baboeuf bridge. But
before the crossing could be reached, "Captain Wattenbach, of
the Fusiliers, and Lieutenant Lee, Brigade liaison officer, who
had ridden ahead to make sure that the bridges were intact,
found Baboeuf held by the Germans.

There was nothing to be done now but to divert the crossing
to the Varesnes bridge, over two miles farther west, and the
whole Brigade was being withdrawn in that direction when it
was suddenly faced about to make an amazing counter-attack
that, in the minds of those who took part, will live as the most
memorable incident of the retreat.

Remember that the Brigade had now had five days of hard
fighting and hard marching, taking endless punishment in that
always difficult operation, a rearguard action, and that by all
the text-books it should have no fight left in it. Indeed, it
was sheer unconquerable impertinence that it existed at all
after the handling it had received. As for counter-attacking
and taking a village — well, it has happened very often in the
history of the British Army that the text-books have been
neglected in the hour of need, with glorious results. Corunna
was one such instance, and the 54th Brigade may be allowed
to think that Baboeuf was another.

Let us get the situation as clear as possible. The whole
Brigade was now making westward for the crossing at Varesnes
with — let it be admitted — as much speed as the ordinary pro-
cautions of rearguard warfare and due thought for the dignity
of the British Army would allow. It was badly out-voted in
the little debate that had now been going on for some days,
and the weight of the argument had been entirely with the Ger-
mans. In short, the Brigade was very tired and very badly
punished, and had been fought so nearly to a standstill that
it ought not to count. And so it surprised its friends and foes
alike by showing that it was still to be reckoned with.

As the Brigade retired, a gap of some 2,000 yards had been
left between the French on the high ground north of Beheri-
court and the 53rd Brigade on the railway-line to the south
of Baboeuf. Several French batteries of 75 's were in this gap,
firing towards Baboeuf, with no infantry in front of them. It
was to save these guns and to delay the Germans, who were
thus cutting in between the French and the 53rd Brigade, that
General Sadleir-Jackson decided to counter-attack and seize the
high ground north of Baboeuf and the village itself.

139

So the tired battalions, now cut down to less than half-
strength, were faced about, and shortly after 5 p.m. were de-
ployed for the attack. The front extended from the Babceuf-
Conipeigne main road, inclusive, on our right, to the south edge
of the woods above BabcEuf. The Fusiliers were on the right,
and the Bedfordshire Regiment on the left, with the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment in reserve.

Within half an hour from the first decision to make this move
the attack had been launched, without any artillery prepara-
tion. In the excitement of this unexpected move, all fatigue
and hardship were forgotten, and everything went forward with
a swing. The village was held with machine guns, but the
attack pressed on with surprisingly few casualties. One can
only assume that the Germans thought something more lay in
the move than an assault by a tired, hard-fought Brigade, now
barely as strong as a single battalion. At any rate, he gave
way, the village was captured, ten machine guns were taken
and destroyed, and 230 Germans killed or taken prisoner.

Few will forget the fight up the little main street of the
village, where a calf calmly wandered at the head of our line,
although a hot interchange of shots was taking place with the
Germans. The Fusiliers, who had gone into the attack very
weak, met with some little resistance in " mopping-up " the
south side of the village, and two companies of the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment were moved up to their assistance. Finally
the place was cleared, and by 6.30 p.m. the position was being
consolidated in the meadows on the Germans' side of the village.
Tools were collected from houses in Salency and sent up in a
limber, together with rations from the ever-welcome cooker.
There was some shelling of the village, but nothing very serious.
As the light failed, the enemy had been seen digging in about
800 yards farther east. So the night came on, a signal-lamp
flickered between the village and Brigade headquarters at
Salency, and the men settled down wearily, but full of heart,
for what seemed the inevitable German counter-attack at dawn.

But the object of the operation had been attained, and there
was no intention of holding the position. Orders came to hold
the line until 2 a.m. on the 26th, and then to retire over the
river and canal. So one by one the tired and battered bat-
talions — first the Fusiliers, then the Bedfordshires, and last of
all the Northamptonshires — made their way through the dark-
ness to Salency and across the bridge at Varesnes.

An exhausted motor despatch-rider reported to the Bedford-
shires that the bridge was just on the point of being blown up,
and Colonel Percival had to send an urgent message to prevent
its being blown up before they arrived. On arrival at the bridge
they were warned to break step in crossing, as the supports
were already half demolished, and might give way before they
got over. Everybody was glad to get safely on the other side.

140

The speed with which our alHes destroyed the Oise bridges
proved most inconvenient to the Brigadier's haison officer, who
had remained behind to direct the rearguards. This officer was
mounted, and found to his dismay, on reaching the Oise, that
the river bridge had been demoHshed, and the sappers were
just on the point of blowing up the land bridge, lie had a wet
journey the rest of the night, as there was nothing for it but
to abandon his horse and swim across.

By 6 a.m. they were at Caisnes. The village was already
full of French heavy artillery, but the Bedfordshire and North-
amptonshire Regiments were squeezed into shelter, and Brigade
headquarters were established at Caisnes Chateau. The Fusiliers
were sent a little farther on to L'Aigle. Soon after daybreak
all had had hot tea and were settled down for a little rest.

Then followed much moving about, but on the whole a few
days of quiet, while the Brigade was pulled together and thrown
into another part of the line.

Caisnes had been reached soon after 6 a.m. on the 26th.
By 4 p.m. on the same day the Brigade was marching out for
Audignicourt, where by 10 p.m. all the battalions settled down
for a night in some caves on the north of the village. The
caves were filthy, and full of broken bottles, but it was some-
thing to have a corner in which to fling a weary body, and to
have some sort of certainty that one would not be dragged out
in the hours of darkness to march and fight.

On the following day the Brigade was marched to St. Aubin.
Here the Royal Sussex Pioneers and the 8oth Field Company
R.E. were attached. Some Frerrch baths were got working,
and everyone settled down to the well-earned delights of food,
rest, and baths.

The next move was at 4 p.m. on March 30th, when the Brigade
marched to Nampcel, whence lorries took them a long, slow
journey of twelve hours to Boves, a little south-east of Amiens,
where the next phase of the fighting, the defence of Amiens,
took place.

In difficult operations, where all did so well and so many
were awarded well-won decorations, it is difficult to deal as fully
as one would like with individual actions. Those already quoted
have been selected merely as illustrating the desperate character
of the fighting.

Chapter XIV

THE DEFENCE OF AMIENS

p VENTS of the next few weeks fall under the general heading,
■'-' " The Defence of Amiens." It was realized that this im-
portant centre of communications was the enemy's objective,
and the Brigade had a front seat for the show.

The move from St. Aubin was made in French 'busses, and
took the whole of March 30th, as a big detour had to be made.
The trip was not without its bright moments, as the French
drivers had been on the move for about a week, and several
of them dropped off to sleep at the wheel and ran the 'busses
into trees. It was after dark when Boves (a village about five
miles south of Amiens) was reached. The Brigade was all
beautifully mixed up. A battalion commander who could find
as much as a company of his men was looked upon as almost
too lucky for such a war, and the Brigade commander and his
officers spent hours wandering up and down a long string of
'busses, sorting out the men, and putting them for the night
into streets where nobody knew us or expected us or loved us.

On the following day (March 31st) the Brigade was ordered
forward to Gentelles (about four miles due east). The first task
was to hold the high ground between Hangard village (held by
the French) and Hangard Wood (held by the 53rd Brigade),
and accordingly the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment was
put into this part of the line. They were relieved by three
companies of the 7th Bedfordshire Regiment on the next
evening, but again took over the line twenty-four hours later,
and continued to hold it for about a week. And not a pleasant
week by any means. The troops were accommodated in slits,
out of which Jerry shelled them at his pleasure ; the weather
was very wet, so that everyone was always wet through, and
hot food and drink could only be got up to the line after dark.

The enemy were seen digging in on the high ground north of
Aubercourt, and on April 2nd it was thought well to attack this
ridge and advance our line. The plan was to form up among
the trees of the river valley (which here runs practically east
and west), and attack north-east.

The attack was to be delivered by one company of Fusiliers
on the right, and one company of the Bedfordshire Regiment on
the left. Each battalion held a company in close support.
It was timed to take place at 6.45 p.m., but was afterwards put
off to 7 p.m. on account of the unusual brightness of the evening.

141

142

Early in the afternoon the assaulting companies moved out
of Gentelles by half-platoons. Unfortunately, as they en-
deavoured to " trickle " into the forming-up place, enemy
observers on the ridge anticipated the attack, and heavy shell-
ing was begun, together with machine-gun fire. The Fusiliers
were fired on from front, rear, and right flank, enemy machine
guns south of the River Luce doing specially heavy damage,
and knocking out all the Lewis guns.

Soon after 7 p.m. rockets and Very lights went up from the
enemy behind the ridge which was the objective of the attack,
the barrage and machine-gun fire increased in intensity, and
it became clear that the task was beyond the powers of the
assaulting troops. The FusiUers had by this time lost two
officers and forty other ranks, and the Bedfordshire Regiment
four officers and sixty other ranks.

Accordingly the assaulting battalions were withdrawn to
Gentelles, and the Northamptonshire Regiment continued to
hold the fine.

Now followed heavier shelling by the enemy, and constant
attempts to break through. On the misty morning of the 3rd
small bodies of his troops were seen trickling into the valley
between his line on the Aubercourt Ridge and the line held by
the Northamptonshire Regiment. Our Stokes guns put down
a hurricane barrage into this valley till knocked out by a minen-
werfer. In the meantime hostile shelling continued, and at
4 p.m. a heavy barrage was put down on the line to our left.
This began to bend back, the movement spread to a part of
our line, but any rot that was setting in was stopped at this
stage by General Sadleir-Jackson, who galloped to and fro under
fire, rallying the men.

" The men [writes an officer who was present] were met by
an infuriated figure galloping up and down the front line.
Aghast at the awful language, they stopped. It was the General.
It was safer in the line, and they returned."

Our men were rallied on the sunken road which runs north
from Hangard to Hangard Wood. Captain Mobbs, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, did good work on the difficult
left flank, where the troops we should have been in touch with
had fallen back. From here they were taken forward to the
original line, which was still in our hands that night.

The retirement of the troops on our left having made the
position on that flank rather obscure, a mounted patrol was
sent out, and found that the enemy were in the east of Hangard
Wood, and our line through the wood and to the north was
weak and disorganized. The Fusiliers, who had been detached
as divisional reserve, were ordered up to the north of the wood
to improve matters. The adventures of that battalion are best
dealt with by Major Wattenbach, who was then the adjutant : —

143

" On the night of April 3rd, just as dusk was creeping on, the
battalion received a wire direct from the Division to say that
we were to counter-attack through certain squares, whatever
they were — anyhow, we were to attack over a distance of three
miles — ^nd were eventually to take up a given line. It was
raining very hard, and the ground was extremely heavy. The
battalion formed up just north of (lentelles, and all officers in
possession of compasses took careful bearings. We launched
out into artillery formation over very thick plough. The men
were wet through, and sank well over the ankle in mud ; it was
getting darker every moment, and it was very cold. In short,
everybody was properly miserable, and the thought of a long
night and all that might happen before daybreak was not exactly
a stimulant. However, the battalion plodded along over what
seemed to be an endless tract of country. There were no stars
to guide the way, and maintaining touch with companies,
platoons, and sections under such conditions was no easy matter.

" We carefully counted the roads we crossed, and on nearing
the wood, which was on our right, several Bosche Very lights
went up no very great distance from battalion headquarters.
Runners were constantly coming in from the front [goodness
only knows how they found their way, when we were con-
tinually on the move], and it was reported that the Bosches
were seen in front digging in on the road, which was part of
our ultimate position. Scouts on the left reported one on two
Frenchmen, on the right there was no touch, and we came to
the conclusion that we had to fill a gap in the line. For all
we knew there were no British troops for miles. With great
difficulty, and after consultation over soaked maps with an
electric torch under a waterproof sheet, we eventually con-
structed a line on paper, and endeavoured to conform to it on
the ground, with a fair amount of success.

" Lieutenant-Colonel [then Major] Gwynn was then sent back
by Colonel Sulman to explain the situation, and point out the
necessity for another battahon at least to help fill the gap
with us. The Essex Regiment eventually arrived just as we
w6re consolidating our new line, and thank goodness things
were more or less straightened out. We were then informed
that we should have to side-slip past one battalion, and take
up the line of the road with our left resting on the Monument
[on the Aubercourt-Villers-Bretonneux road]. It was then
purely a question of time, as dawn gradually broke with its
usual mist, and the battalion began to trudge wearily towards
Villers Bretonneux to take up the new line. This we did, and
the battalion got into its new position and the Essex Regiment
came up on the right just as dawn had broken. One can
imagine the feelings of the Bosche on discovering a fairly well-
formed hne not very far away. We held this line until relieved
by the Australians, when we went back to billets in Gentelles."

144

Leaving the Fusiliers to carry on with their separate enter-
tainment, let us now return to the rest of the Brigade.

April 4th was a day of intermittent shelling of our front and
support lines, but there was no hostile infantry action. But
the following day was to relieve any boredom that might be
creeping over us.

April 5th broke wet and misty, and as visibility improved
Germans were seen creeping up the valley and into the dead
ground within a hundred yards of our front line. Throughout
the morning heavy artillery and trench-mortar fire was directed
on our line, and the Northamptonshire Regiment was enfiladed
by machine-gun fire from Hangard Wood. As things appeared
about to happen, the Bedfordshire Regiment was now brought
up from Brigade reserve. Two companies were dug in in a
series of small slits, each containing two men, along the ridge
between the Domart and Hangard valleys, and two companies
were held as counter-attack troops in the Domart valley. Strong
points, garrisoned by the Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire
Regiments, were also formed, and a section of the Trench Mortar
Battery was put on our left flank.

Heavy shelling and machine-gun fire continued throughout
the morning and early afternoon, with a good deal of gas. About
three o'clock a haystack where a signal-station had been estab-
lished, about a hundred yards west of a line of poplars that the
Northamptonshires will remember, was set on fire by an in-
cendiary shell, and blazed merrily. The Brigade commander
had just been making a personal reconnaissance of the front
line from this stack, but luckily had left in time.

" Meanwhile [writes a Northamptonshire officer] our front
line was being literally battered in by shell fire and trench mor-
tars, inflicting tremendous casualties on the few remaining
troops. No tribute can be too high for those gallant officers,
N.C.Os. and men who stood firm that day until they were
killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. Two officers. Lieutenant
Law and 2nd-Lieutenant Hall, were killed, and 2nd-Lieutenant
Caswell was taken prisoner.

" By five o'clock the line was pierced in many places, and
the remnants of the battalion were collected and took up a
position on the ridge midway between Gentelles and Domart.
Just as arrangements were being made for our relief an urgent
message was received from the officer commanding the French
troops on our right, stating that they had been driven out of
Hangard, and were about to make a counter-attack to retake
the village, asking if our battalion would assist by co-operating,
and attack simultaneously on their left flank. To this Colonel
Turner at once consented, sending confirmation to Brigade.
At the moment fixed for the French troops to commence their
advance, 7.20 p.m., the runner returned with the Brigadier's
order to assist.

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145

"The objective of the battaUon was the sunken road running
north from the village to Hangard Wood, 1,500 yards distant.
Colonel Turner led the attack, assisted by Major Stewart. We
met with considerable artillery opposition, and sustained several
casualties early in the advance from shell fire. Midway to our
objective were the glowing embers of a straw stack which had
been set on fire a few hours previously, and silhouetted against
this light our line became a ready target for the enemy machine
guns now brought up into the copse adjoining our objective.
Nevertheless, we had succeeded in getting to within fifty yards
of the sunken road, when a large volume of machine-gun and
rifle fire held up the advance. At this point a heavy shell fell
a few yards in front, wounded Colonel Turner and killed Major
Stewart and 2nd-Lieutenant Cuzens. The road itself being
strongly enfiladed by machine guns, a line was taken up just
short of it, where we dug in and held on till relieved some hours
later by the Australian Corps.

" Throughout the period from March 23rd Colonel Turner
was continuously with the battalion. His personal bravery
had long been a byword with us, but never befftre did his valour
show so conspicuously as dui'ing this week. No one who took
part in this final counter-attack will forget the manner in which
he led the few remnants of his battalion forward, himself at the
head, cheering and urging them on, and finally, when wounded,
sitting up and encouraging the men to dig in."

That night our front was handed over to the Australians,
and the Brigade was withdrawn to Gentelles, where it was held
for counter-attack purposes till the 13th, when it was sent a
little farther back to Cagny and Boutillerie.

The M.C. was well earned by Captain B. C. Gillott, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, on the night of the counter-
attack just described. He had done good work throughout
the day under heavy fire, and after the commanding officer had
been wounded and the second-in-command killed, he, as ad-
jutant, was chiefly responsible for organizing the new position
and keeping touch with the French.

The remaining work of the Brigade, which was now held in
readiness to counter-attack anywhere on the Corps front, was
chiefly in connection with the enemy's last great effort before
Amiens. At dawn on April 24th a particularly heavy bombard-
ment awoke any who happened to be asleep in Amiens and the
surrounding villages, and the word went round that the Germans
M'ere attacking again.

The Brigade was soon under arms, and by 7 a.m. was crossing
the river bridges at Fort Manoir Farm, on its way up to the
line once more. A position was then taken up roughly on the
St. Nicholas-Blagny-Tronville track (west of Bois dc I'Abbe),
and the battalions dug in. But orders soon came to get farther
forward, and by i p.m. the Brigade was dug in on the high

146

ground between Gentelles and the south-west corner of the Bois
de I'Abbe, across the enemy's main Hne of approach to Amiens.

The situation to our front was somewhat obscure, but it was
gathered that, following closely on the heavy bombardment at
dawn, the enemy had launched a determined assault on Villers
Bretonneux, and was now holding the eastern edge of Bois
de I'Abbe. He was also disputing the possession of Cachy.

Cachy was at this time covered by a composite body known
as " Shepherd's Force," taking its name from an officer of the
6th Northamptonshire Regiment who had been put in command.

The battalion had reached Cagny, and Major Shepherd, after
a good dinner, had taken his clothes off for the first time for
a week, and gone to bed in a real bed. He might have known
that such luxury was too good to last, and the events that
followed are worth quoting as typical of a quiet night in rest
billets.

At I a.m. a German aeroplane came over and dropped bombs
on the village, badly smashing up a company of the London
Regimen-t who were marching through, and partially wrecking
Major Shepherd's billet, bringing his bed in ruins to the ground.
He spent some hours in slippers and pyjamas collecting the
wounded of the London Regiment, and had just refixed his
bed with a view to getting asleep again, when a runner dashed
in with a message. It was an order to report to the 175th Brigade
at 10 a.m.

On reporting there he was told to take over command of a
scratch team, to be known as " Shepherd's Force," and to hold
the line in front of Cachy, with headquarters at Gentelles.
He accordingly proceeded, with Captain Gillott as adjutant,
to the latter place, where a long queue of officers with small
parties under their command reported for duty. Eventually
the force was sorted out, and found to consist of : —

2 companies 6th Northatnptonshires (" A " and " C ").

I company i-4th Suffolks.

I company London Regiment.

70 R.Es., under Major Byewater.

Part of 175th T.M.B. under Captain Peabody.

7 tunnellers.

8 machine guns.

The days that followed were full of excitement, the German
gunners and gas merchants doing all in their power to keep
" Shepherd's Force " from getting bored with the proceedings.

An attack was expected any day. Captured Germans stated
that at least two Divisions were going to be put into the attack,
and more if necessary ; further, that the attack had been prac-
tised behind the line on prepared ground, and the objective
was a village unknown, which they were not only to go round,
but to go through. Nice little pink forms arrived almost hourly
from Division, giving further information of the forthcoming
attack. Fifteen German tanks were to be used. Yellow Cross

147

gas was to be flung in unsparingly. "Shepherd's Force" began
to feel that the Germans were taking it far too seriously.

Finally, in the early hours of the 24th, just as the great
bombardment had begun, the Division sent Major Shepherd a
cheery little message, reading : "In continuation of my so-and-
so of such-and-such a date, prisoner states that village of Cachy
is their objective."

By this time Cachy had ceased to be a residential site, and had
become a mere heap of road-mending material, for the bombard-
ment was hot and strong.

Defensive measures against the tanks — of which this was the
first use by Germans — had to be thought of. Arrangements
were made to bring field guns forward to deal with them, but
owing to the mist which was a constant early morning feature,
it was realized that they would not be able to get on their
targets. It was then decided to push up trench mortars, with
orders to put down a barrage as soon as they saw a tank. It
was not thought that this would do any damage, but it was
hoped that it would scare off the tanks, as it was the Germans'
first use of them.

The attack duly took place, the Germans broke through the
troops in front and came down on " Shepherd's Force." A mes-
sage came back to headquarters that two tanks were about 500
yards to our front, and that Germans were forming up around
them. This attack was driven off, but one of the tanks came
on until it was right on top of our wire.' Then, to the general
amazement, it turned round and tried to get away, but stuck
fast soon afterwards, and was eventually brought into our lines.
This was the first German tank captured by us, and " Shepherd's
Force " very much wanted to adopt it as a mascot, but general
opinion was against them. Drawings of it were afterwards
distributed to units by G.H.Q., with " vital spots " marked
for the benefit of all concerned.

Later on in the day the Germans attacked again with tanks
and infantry, and got within 300 yards of our lines. It was
beginning to look as though " Shepherd's Force " would shortly
be struck off the strength of the British Army with some vio-
lence, when a dramatic thing happened. Seven of our own
light fast tanks (whippets) came racing out of the Bois de
I'Abbe and went all out for the Germans. By a happy coin-
cidence these whippets were under the command of Captain
Price, formerly of the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment, who
has already been mentioned in these pages. The German attack
was completely broken up, our fast tanks dashing to and fro
among the Germans, shooting and crushing them down, and
finally coming out of action covered with blood.

On the following night " Shepherd's Force " was relieved by a
battalion of French Moroccan troops, and ceased to exist, its
various parts rejoining their own units.

148

Now to return to the rest of the Brigade, which we left dug
in between Gentelles and the Bois de I'Abl^e. This position
was occupied throughout the day, except that the nth Royal
Fusihers were detached and moved into support beliind the
58th Division, a Httle to the south of Cientelles.

At about 6 p.m. Captain H. C. Browning, adjutant of the
Bedfordshire Regiment, and temporarily in command of the
battalion, was summoned to Brigade headquarters, in a slit
dug-out under a root-stack, and ordered to counter-attack
towards the Villers Bretonneux-Aubercourt road, with a view
to retaking our front line, which had been rushed by the Germans
earlier in the day. This was, of course, the part of the line
which had been pierced in front of "Shepherd's Force." He was
told that the Australians would be on his left, and the West
Kent Regiment on his right, and our barrage would open at
10 p.m.

He decided to attack with " C " Company on the right (com-
manded by Captain Kingdon, killed in the operation), " B "
in the centre (commanded by Captain McBride, also killed),
and " A " on the left (commanded by Lieutenant Trewman,
wounded). " D " Company was held in reserve (commanded
by Captain Lawrence, killed).

Having made his plans with his company commanders. Cap-
tain Browning pushed ahead with a runner to see where the
Australians' right would rest, and to find the forming-up line.
In attacking, the battalion would have the Bois de I'Abbe on
their left, and Cachy to their right rear, with their objective
directly ahead — a simple affair as regards direction, except for
the darkness.

It was very heavy going through sticky mud all churned up
by shell fire, and very dark, but luckily fine. On arriving at
the line, locating it with some difficulty. Captain Browning
found where his right and left were to rest (this gave him a
front of about 900 yards), and proceeded to lay down the tape.
Owing to the short notice at which the attack had to be carried
out, he had brought no tape of his own, but borrowed about
300 yards from the Australians, and, cutting this into lengths,
began to put this down on a sort of dot-and-dash principle —
a piece of tape, a gap, a piece of tape, another gap, and so on.

Laying out a tape on a compass bearing, when you don't
know where the enemy may be, is tricky work. The Aus-
tralians had told him that the Bosches were somewhere around,
so Captain Browning put out his runner about fifty yards in
front with a rifle to act as a covering party, and bent to his job.

He had done about a hundred yards, and was stooping down,
when someone bumped into him. He stood up and asked
angrily — those of us who know him can imagine the glance of
gentle indignation through the monocle ! — where the first H
in //alifax the intruder was coming to. Then he saw, to his

149

annoyance, that it was a German — bother these Germans !
they were always meddling with a fellow's job — and became
acutely conscious that he himself was carrying only a stick.
However, it was explained to the German that he was a prisoner,
he was made to throw down his rifle, and thereafter he amiably
strolled along with Captain Browning while the tape-laying
continued.

Another 150 yards along five more Bosches were encountered
coming from the direction of our lines. They fell in with the
idea of the game at once, began " Kamerading " with all their
hearts, threw down their rifles, and joined the procession. At
this point Captain Browning thought it well to withdraw his
covering party (one man), and use it as escort to prisoners
(see Field Service Regulations re initiative of commander on
the spot in arranging local protection). Six more Bosches were
bumped into near the derelict German tank already mentioned,
and added to the party, and when at last the tape-laying was
finished, the whole party was handed over to the runner to be
taken back. Just as he was on his way back with them another
ten came up out of the darkness and surrendered.

It was now past 9.30 p.m., and when the assaulting com-
panies were ready to get away, the barrage had already moved
forward, so short had been the notice given for the attack.

Things were now getting very lively, the Germans throwing
a lot of stuff about, twice blowing up the Bedfordshire Regiment's
headquarters.

The assaulting companies moved off " into the blue " — or
rather, into the black — with little information except that their
objective was something over 2,000 yards ahead. Our line was
very thin, the men being extended to five paces. Most of them
were lads of under nineteen, some of the reinforcements hurried
out from England when the Bosche started his push in March,
but all were very keen and in good spirits.

The platoons came under machine-gun fire almost at once,
and a number of officers and other ranks fell. But the rest
pushed on, reached a belt of our own wire, trickled through,
and dealt with a number of Germans in shell-holes and slits
beyond, who promptly gave themselves up. Then in the dark-
ness, lit up now and then by German star shells, the line pushed
steadily on, till at last it was thought they were on their final
objective, and orders were given to get down and dig in.

By this time only two officers were left, 2nd-Lieutenant
W. Tysoe and 2nd-Lieutenant E. J. Scott, and they decided to
halve the battalion front. 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe was on the
left, and in touch with the Australians ; but 2nd-Lieutenant
Scott could find nothing but Bosches on the right, so our flank
on that side was in the air. 2nd-Lieutenant Scott therefore
borrowed a platoon from the Australians, and then sent out
a patrol on his right, who found the Germans working round
behind us.

I50

Ammunition was by this time running out, but one of our
old dumps was found in front, and this was distributed. This
piece of good fortune was largely due to Private G. A. Hughes,
who was awarded the MM. " He went forward [says the
official account] to find an ammunition dump which was believed
to exist about 150 yards in front of the line. He located it,
and later took a party and succeeded in getting five boxes back
to the front line when ammunition was urgently needed. When
this was completed, he again went out on several occasions and
managed to bring in wounded men, in spite of the heavy machine-
gun fire which went on throughout the night."

Just before dawn Captain Browning managed to get up to
the front line to see the situation for himself, and to mark the
line on a map. He then returned, promising to send up rations
and water.

At dawn 2nd-Lieutenant Scott came across to 2nd-Lieutenant
Tysoe, reported his rather difficult position in view of the fact
that the Germans still appeared to be working round his flank,
and said he would go back for orders. He started off with his
batman, but was wounded and taken prisoner on the way, and
from this point 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe was alone and in command
of the whole situation.

For a time things were quiet, except for pretty constant
sniping by both sides, the Bosche trickling reinforcements into
his front line. 2nd- Lieutenant Tysoe took advantage of this
comparative lull to reorganize the remnants of the battahon,
dividing the men into thirties, just wherever they happened to
be, and putting them under N.C.Os. as platoon commanders.
By this time his " staff " consisted of Company Sergeant-Major
O. H. Kirby (who acted as second-in-command) and a number
of N.C.Os. who took command of the little scattered groups.
These included the following, the details of their good work
being quoted from the official accounts on which they were
awarded medals : —

Sergeant G. H. Holloway, D.C.M., "was left in charge of a
considerable part of the front line after a successful counter-
attack in which nearly all officers became casualties. Owing
to the attack on cither flank being held up, the battalion was
for a considerable time dn a precarious position, and it was
largely due to his great determination and personal example
that the front line maintained its ground, in spite of several
attempts by the enemy to cut it off."

Sergeant H. G. Robinson, D.C.M. : " After all the officers of
his company and the company sergeant-major had become
casualties, he took command of the men of his own and other
companies in his part of the line, and organized the defence
of the position gained, which they hung on to all the following
day till relieved, though under heavy fire and almost sur-
rounded.

151

Sergeant J. Boness, D.C.M. : " Time after time he rallied his
men, keeping them together and inspiring confidence. Regard-
less of danger, he with a few men rushed a machine gun which
was causing a good deal of trouble and put it out of action."

It now became of vital importance to report the situation
to the rear, and 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe sent two runners back
to try and get a message through. Both disappeared, so two
more were sent out. Later on one of them. Private A. G. Bailey,
arrived back without equipment or helmet, and said that he
had been attacked by Germans, and his companion killed or
wounded. This was the first definite information that the
battalion was surrounded. Private Bailey, who already wore
the M.M., was awarded a bar for his work that day, the official
account reading : —

He left the line with a message for battalion headquarters.
On the way he was attacked by a Bosche patrol, his companion
being wounded. He shot three of the enemy in rapid succes-
sion, and in the confusion this caused escaped with his message."

Germans could now be seen moving all around, and the
Australians on the left reported their left flank in the air and the
Bosche in the wood.

At about 8 a.m. two Germans were seen approaching with a
white flag, and it shows the confidence with which the Bedford-
shiie Regiment — nearly all of them mere boys, under a junior
subaltern who, at any rate, was not of very advanced years —
was holding out, though surrounded and cut off, that they
actually thought the Germans were coming in to surrender.
They were conducted to and-Lieutenant Tysoe's shell-hole by
a sergeant of the Machine Gun Corps, attached to the Bedford-
shire I^egiment, who took the opportunity to report that his
flank was almost completely surrounded.

The party consisted of a German sergeant-major, who spoke
good English, and a private as flag-bearer. On arrival they
demanded of 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe, to his great annoyance,
that he should surrender to avoid further unnecessary blood-
shed. The message from the German commander added that
the little British force was surrounded by two divisions, and it
would be blown out of the ground if it did not surrender. The
German sergeant-major further confided that he had been pro-
mised the Iron Cross for this job.

2nd-Lieutenant TysOe's reply was a refusal, but he added
that if the flag party liked to be blindfolded, they would be
taken back to battahon headquarters to ask if the line was to
surrender. The Germans agreed, promptly produced handker-
chiefs, and were sent back blindfolded under escort of Company
Sergeant-Major Buries and his batman. Of the escort nothing
more was heard of for some time, and they were reported miss-
ing until they were afterwards found to have been wounded
and taken back through another division's area. The two

152

Germans were afterwards found wandering about our lines still
blindfolded.

Another flag party was seen coming across some hours later,
but 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe refused to have anything to do with
them, and they returned. He then crept from shell-hole to
shell-hole, and reached the Australians, and agreed with them
to hang on. About 12 noon an Australian Brigade attacked
and captured the Bois de I'Abbe, and restored the situation on
the left flank.

Owing to sniping, movement was very difficult, but Sergeant
S. Walby volunteered to try and get back to battalion head-
quarters with news, and succeeded. In all, this N.C.O. made
four journeys to the rear, under fire, two of them in broad day-
light, and his information proved most valuable.

About I p.m. the Germans began heavy shelling, evidently
a part of their threat to blow the little party out of the earth.
Skipping from hole to hole to organize the defence of the ex-
posed left flank, 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe once fell into a slit on top
of a Bosche who was reading a letter. Without apologizing for
the interruption, he managed to be first with his revolver,
and the German surrendered. He was sent back alone to the
rear.

Just about this time Private F. Millward, a signaller, appeared
with a sand-bag full of rations, and volimteered to distribute
them. As a matter of fact the need for rations, which at one
time had been rather acute, had now been overcome, the men
having found iron rations and bottles of coffee in German equip-
ment which had been hastily discarded when the enemy vacated
the position. Millward did much good work that day, and was
awarded the M.M., the official account stating that " he made
continuous efforts to get in touch with battalion headquarters
on the lamp, both by day and night, thus exposing himself to
very heavy machine-gun fire. These efforts proving of no avail,
he volunteered as a runner and took messages. Later he dis-
tributed rations along the front line in broad daylight, while
machine-gun fire was continuously sweeping the line."

The shelling and machine-gun fire continued. Towards dusk
much German movement was apparent on the right, and an
attack appeared to be preparing at our rear. 2nd-Lieutenant
Tysoe decided that something must be done, and formed a
defensive flank with four of his roughly organized platoons,
about 100 men in all.

At dark the Germans attacked this flank, but did not seem
particularly strong, and our fellows, with splendid spirit, jumped
up and went for them with the bayonet, driving them off.

About midnight a message came through from Captain
Browning saying that the French would probabl)' relieve the
Bedfordshire Regiment, but the hours passed with nothing
happening, except for occasional encounters with German patrols.

153

Towards 4 a.m. the Australians on the left moved oflf, after re-
porting that the French were formed up for a counter-attack
behind us.

2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe then decided to get back if possible.
It was still dark, but he took a compass bearing on the west
corner of the Bois de I'Abbe, and got his men out by platoons,
passing through three lines of French on the way.

For his fine work on that occasion 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe was
awarded the D.S.O., the official account stating that —

" He showed the greatest skill and ability in organizing and
consolidating the line after a successful counter-attack. He
was the only company officer left, and had command of the whole
front line held by the battalion.

" Throughout the night of the 24th-25th he worked un-
ceasingly under very heavy artillery and machine-gun fire,
with his right flank exposed.

" During the evening of the 25th the enemy, after putting
down a heavy barrage, launched an attack, and succeeded in
advancing through the gap on the right of the battalion. 2nd-
Lieutenant Tysoe at once counter-attacked on his own initia-
tive with as many men as he could get together and drove the
enemy back.

" This fine example of gallantry and leadership by this young
officer was entirely instrumental in holding the ground gained
with many young soldiers who were in action for the first time."

The Brigade was now withdrawn, and went into rest west of
Amiens, until the war was resumed, so far as they wero con-
cerned, in a new sector.

Chapter XV

ALBERT

/^N May 5th, igi8, the Brigade moved to the Albert sector,
^^ and for over two months returned to the old routine of trench
warfare. The line was within about 500 yards of the western
edge of Albert, and the battalion were on ground familiar to
them from their earliest experiences in the autumn of 1915,
the front line they now held having been a part of the support
system in those far-olT days. Ahead of them, beyond Albert,
lay Fricourt, Montauban, Trones Wood, Thiepval, and many
another place of proud memories.

It was a comparatively good sector, but, unfortunately, at
the time of our arrival the retention of the spur (the high ground
before Albert) had assumed considerable importance. Cap-
tured hostile maps clearly indicated that the enemy were of
the same opinion. Officers from higher commands continually
visited us, urged the importance of holding on, spoke of the
honour of dying at one's post, and bade us an affectionate fare-
well.

The exact moment of the attack was said to be known, so
we trembled and waited, and waited and trembled, later ceased
to trouble, and eventually becoming thoroughly bored.

This boredom was considerably enlivened by the arrival of
a general officer of cavalry, who rode with his staff up to a certain
company headquarters ^n broad daylight. The true cavalry
spirit of adventure appeared to be thoroughly ingrained in all
his squadron leaders, who rode all over the sector, with hosts
of retainers. These cheery and plucky visitors proved a trifle
expensive, as the enemy noticed the show, and headquarters
were soon afterwards completely des'troyed by shell fire as a
result.

Later on we moved across and took up a sector alongside the
Australians holding Ville sur Ancre, where we renewed a friend-
ship which had commenced so happily during the Villers Breton-
neux attack. Small parties of American troops were attached
to us during this period, and battalion commanders were in-
structed to offer them every facility for seeing and taking part
in trench routine. This was evidently very thoroughly done,
as one American officer, on return to Brigade headquarters,
stated that he was now thoroughly acquainted with every
missile which was fired from every piece of ordnance in the
German Army.

155

During the Brigade's tour of duty in this sector battalions
in reserve were camped in Henencourt Wood, and of a rest
period of the Bedfordshire Regiment in this spot a story is
told which may be received or rejected at pleasure.

One of the men got a Httle muddled through an error in
estimating his powers of resistance in the matter of French
wine, and lost his bayonet. Then, to his consternation, he
found that there was to be an inspection by the General the
next morning, so he made friends with one of the pioneers,
who fixed him up with a wooden bayonet for the parade, for-
getting the necessity of being able to obey the command, " Fix
bayonets."

When this order came in due course next day, the unfortunate
soldier was naturally discovered by his company commander
as being the only man without his bayonet fixed. Sternly the
O.C. company reprimanded him, and ordered him to get his
bayonet fixed at once. With almost commendable quickness
of thought, the man assumed a painful expression, and, with a
break in his voice, said : " Sir, this is the anniversary of my
mother's death, and I have taken an oath never to fix my
bayonet on this particular day."

By this time the Brigadier had arrived, and it was evident
that a crisis was imminent. With his usual rapid and com-
prehensive glance lound the Brigadier at once fixed on the
one weak spot, even though the man had been concealed in
the rear rank of the rear platoon. A quivering company com-
mander accompanied the General at once to the wretched
bayonetless soldier. On interrogation once again, the man
(with rather less confidence than the first time) replied with the
same yarn concerning his mother. But the General had by
this time seen what was the matter, and decided to work out
the situation to its logical conclusion. " Fix your bayonet
at once," he demanded, " and don't stand there discussing
your home affairs. Now then, jump to it !"

But the man was not yet defeated, and his remaining presence
of mind enabled him to play out his part to the end. Drawing
his wooden substitute from its scabbard, he exclaimed ; " Sir,
I must obey your command, but may the Lord strike it into a
wooden one !" As the wooden bayonet fell at the General's
feet the man stood stiffly at attention, and must have felt the
utmost relief when he saw the General unsuccessfully try to
repress a suggestion of a smile. The man had won.

It was during this period that another change took place in
the Brigade, the 7th (Service) Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment
ceasing to exist, and being replaced by the 2nd Battalion, one
of the fine battalions of the regiment.

The reorganization of Brigades on a three-battalion basis had
led to the disbanding of a number of service battalions. The
1 2th Middlesex Regiment had already gone (as mentioned in

156

Chapter XIII). Now it was decided that the Bedfordshire
Regiment must lose its junior service battalion, which happened
to be the 7th, and it was replaced in the Brigade by the 2nd Bat-
talion, which up to this time had been serving with the 90th
Brigade of the 30th Division.

As a matter of fact, it was, so far as this Brigade was con-
cerned, little more than a change of number. Practically all
the officers and other ranks of the old 7th remained, the officers
and other ranks of the 2nd arriving like a draft. To all intents
and purposes the 7th was simply renumbered as the 2nd, and
retained the commanding officer, second-in-command, adjutant,
and other officers under whom the service battalion had won
its spurs.

Apart from patrols and minor raids, the chief operation of
the Brigade in this sector was that undertaken against the Ger-
man defences at the north-west corner of Albert, known as the
" Hairpin." This was carried out on the night of June 30th-
July 1st.

" The position [writes an officer who took part in the attack]
was peculiar. The front line trenches of both sides mainly
consisted of deepened remains of the old French defences.
Both front lines were almost on a level on the top of a small
hill. The standing corn amongst the trenches and partly in
No Man's Land largely concealed the view. In our own divi-
sional area there was only one communication trench, on which
the Bosche 5 9's registered with remarkable accuracy. This
made. the getting up of the large amount of stores, ammunition,
wire, etc., a lengthy business, and most of it had to be done
overland during the night. Fully a week was occupied in
forming the necessary dumps and camouflaging them, and this
was carried out successfully, no shell or trench mortar hitting
any dump or destroying the camouflage.

" The possession of the line given as the objective would give
us complete command of the northern end of Albert and the
Ancre Valley to the north, and would probably render the
enemy's positions east of the river untenable. It was there-
fore obvious that the enemy would put up a strong resistance,
and would probably sacrifice a great deal to retake his original
line, if lost."

The assaulting battalions were the Northamptonshires on the
right and the Bedfordshires on the left, and an elaborate scheme
for the attack, in which machine guns, trench mortars, gas,
smoke, and of course plenty of artillery, all played a part, was
drawn up. It was to be a night attack, and the novel plan was
adopted of keeping direction by means of flame tracer bullets,
Lewis guns firing these tracers on lines which defined the flanks
of the assaulting platoons.

The " Hairpin " system curved across our front in such a
way as to suggest an attack from the rear. Thus, while one

157

platoon of the Northamptonshire Regiment made a frontal
attack, other platoons, from a point farther south, were to
advance north-east, cross the trench, work along the east side
of it, and attack from the rear. The Bedfordshire Regiment
was to do much the sarne thing, the right of their attack cross-
ing the enemy front line at a selected point, then left-wheel-
ing and taking it in the rear.

Following closely on the heels of the assaulting companies
were to be wiring parties, to wire promptly the far side of the
trench, as a part of the consolidation scheme.

Orders issued by the Northamptonshire Regiment detailed
" B " (commanded by 2nd-Lieutenant B. Martin) as the
assaulting company, and " D " (commanded by Captain
Gillott) as the wiring company. The Bedfordshire Regiment
detailed " B " company for the assault and " C " for wiring.

Zero hour was 9.35 p.m. on June 30th. Gas had been put
over on our right, to keep the enemy in that part of the line as
much amused as possible, and smoke was put over that part
of his front which we were to attack. This had the desired
effect of making him put his gas-masks on.

Guided by the glowing lines of the tracer-bullets, the assault-
ing platoons pushed forward to their objectives, closely followed
by the wiring parties. A few prisoners were taken and quite
a fair number killed in the small mine-shafts the enemy had
commenced in his trenches. The attack was evidently a sur-
prise, as many of the Germans had their boots off.

The Northamptonshires secured their objective without
trouble from the enemy, and their wiring company was ex-
tremely quick in putting out the wire, which was all in position
before the smoke and dust of the barrage had cleared.

The Bedfordshire Regiment had rather a deeper objective,
and met a good deal of machine-gun fire from their left Hank,
and some brickworks to their front, but the objective was
reached. The wiring company were considerably hampered
by machine-gun fire, and were unable to complete their work,
although a good deal of wire was erected.

After II p.m. the front was again quiet, except for machine-
gun fire, and the work of consolidation was pushed on. Com-
panies of the Fusiliers were engaged in digging communication
trenches between our old front line and the German line which
we had taken.

Dawn on July ist saw the beginning of a series of counter-
attacks, which eventually led up to the enemy regaining com-
plete possession of his old line.

Signallers had some bright moments while trying to keep touch
with the assaulting companies. Touch having been lost with
the Northamptonshire Regiment, Lieutenant C. H. Webb,
Brigade Signal Officer, crawled up in the early hours of the
ist, and managed to establish lamp communication from a

158

platoon within about fifty yards of an orchard held by the Ger-
mans. For this and other good work that day he was awarded
the M.C., the official record reading : —

" He proceeded to the front line, having to craw! most of the
way, and being continually subjected to grazing machine-gun
fire. He established communication successfully. The same
day, having ascertained the forward end of the ' loop set '
[a portable wireless plant] had been damaged, he at once pro-
cured a spare set, and went up and re-established communica-
tion within thirty yards of the enemy."

It was too much to expect that the official account would
give the best point of the little adventure. Lieutenant Webb
had crawled up with his wireless, set up his wires above the
parapet, and was feeling very full of heart and satisfied with
the war, when a runner arrived breathlessly from the Brigadier
and gasped out : " General's comphments, sir, and for good-
ness sake take that thing down ! You're within thirty yards
of the enemy." So, amid a parting .splutter of machine-gun
bullets, the wires were taken down.

Private J. Stevens, of the Northamptonshire Regiment, did
good work with the forward end of the " wireless " set which
went over with the assaulting company. Under heavy fire
he erected the station, and within half an hour after reaching
the captured German trench was in touch with battalion head-
quarters. At one time our artillery was firing short, and the
speed with which he was able to get off a message asking for
the range to be altered undoubtedly saved many lives.

Lieutenant W. S. Oliver- J ones, of the Bedfordshire Regiment,
was in charge of a party detailed to push beyond his battalion's
objective to a sunken road, and clear out some dug-outs there.
Owing to casualties, he had only six men with him when he
arrived there, but he carried out the work successfully, per-
sonally blowing up the dug-outs before withdrawing. Several
prisoners were taken and a number of (iermans killed in the
dug-outs, about fifty being accounted for in all. For this he
was awarded the M.C. Similar awards were made to Lieu-
tenant H. B. Steward (Bedfordshire Regiment) and 2nd-Lieu-
tenant Martin (Northamptonshire Regiment), who led the
assaulting companies.

All through the morning of July ist the Germans made
heavy bombing attacks on the captured trenches, and at dusk
attacked under a heavy barrage of 59's and 8-inchers. Our
Lewis guns succeeded in holding this up short of the old enemy
front line, but he succeeded in regaining his old support line.
Bombing blocks were established in his old communication trenches
and held against bombing attacks during the morningof the and.

Mixed fighting took place most of the day, in which large
quantities of bombs were used, so that it was hoped the Bosche
would not make another effort until dawn on the 3rd, by which

159

time we should have been relieved by the 8th East Surrey
Regiment. The hope, however, was not fulfilled, and again
at dusk the enemy attacked under a heavy barrage. After
heavy fighting he succeeded in regaining his old front line all
along the front, except in a small portion of the 1 2th Divisional
front (on our left). This was evacuated during the morning
of the 3rd. The East Surrey I^egiment had come up to relieve,
but were sent back. The old line was held during the day,
and then handed over to the East Surrey Regiment.

In view of the shortage of front and lack of depth in objec-
tive, our chances of success were problematical, for the enemy
was known to be fairly strong in artillery, and in his counter-
attacks used all guns within range.

Some good work was done in those trying days when the
battalions were trying to hold on to the captured trenches.

Sergeant C. Clarke, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, won the
D.C.M. On the evening of July 2nd he was sent up to take
over a platoon which had just had its officer and sergeant killed.
" On the way up [says the official account] he had to pass
through an enemy barrage. He was blown up and buried by
a shell, wounded in two places, and his helmet and rifle iwere
destroyed. On being dug out, he procured another helmet and
rifle, proceeded to his post, and took command of all available
men near him. In the close fighting which occurred immedi-
ately on his arrival he showed a fine example of courage, pro-
ceeding at once to the threatened spot, organizing a bombing
attack, and clearing a considerable portion of enemy trench.
He refu.sed to leave to have his wounds dressed till next morning."

During this period Captain P. J. Reiss won a bar to his M.C.
. " From 7 to 9 p.m. |says the official account] the new trench
was very heavily shelled, and blown in in many places, followed
by an infantry attack. During the whole of the bombardment
Captain Reiss continued to encourage his men, and when the
barrage lifted, he placed himself in the position of the greatest
danger at the head of a communication trench. There with a
handful of men he made a magnificent resistance, and held up
a large number of the enemy. He threw over two boxes of
bombs himself, and with the aid of his men was actually press-
ing back the enemy, when he was attacked from both sides,
and forced to withdraw, being himself the last to leave."

Two good stories of this show are told by the signallers.
The first concerns the final touch to the preparations. The
scene is the Brigade battle post, and the time half an hour
before zero. One of the heroes of the story tells it as follows : —

" The N.C.O. in charge was engaged in giving final instruc-
tions to the signallers manning the station. ' Don't forget
these light signals, you chaps,' he said. 'A red and green pair
of lights is the success signal, one red light is for artillery to
lengthen range, one green is for artillery support, and we are
to repeat all signals.'

ifio

" In a short time the General appeared, for it was from this
tiny hole in the ground that he would direct operations. As
soon as he appeared the signallers sprang to their instruments,
and everything was ready. Suddenly, with a terrific crash,
the bombardment opened. Soon various coloured lights began
to light up the sky, to be instantly repeated at Brigade battle
post. The battle had started, and the signallers were soon
working at high pressure. Lamps flashed their messages to and

fro, telling how the operation was proceeding. Private B ,

who was in charge of all light rockets, arranged his stock to a
nicety on the parapet.

" Suddenly from the front burst the red and green pair — the
success signal. At once the (ieneral gave the order for the
signal to be repeated, so that all the people who were co-oper-
ating with the infantry should know how the situation stood.

B snatched a Very light from the pile, then stopped.

' Hurry up,' whispered the N.C.O. ' I cannot fire two at once,

corporal,' said B ■ ; ' I have only one pistol.' The N.C.O.

gave a groan. ' Do your best, then.'

" B fired, and then tried to fire again, but the first light

had gone out before he could get the next off. With a smothered
remark which may have been a congratulation, but was probably
not, the General strode forward. ' Give me the pistol,' he

ordered. B did so, and handed the General a light also.

The General fired, and a green Hare was the result. He snatched

the second from B 's outstretched hand and fired again.

All eyes watched the tiny bead of light as it rose and then burst —
green again ! An awful silence, then a gasp from the General.

B turned sickly pale and his knees knocked. Then the

General burst out with — well, at any rate, it wasn't a con-
gratulation. The N.C.O. 's hair turned white in a single moment,
and thoughts of suicide flashed through his mind. ' Cancel
light signals," the General shouted. The battle post instantly
became a hive of industry. Lamps flashed, and an agonized
telephonist bawled down his instrument. Soon order was res-
tored, the General departed, and B began to breathe again."

The other story is thus told by the Bedfordshires : —

" The Bedfordshires were holding the line they had captured
the day before, and the Bosche was strafing it pretty badly,
but not sufficiently to justify our sending up the S.O.S. Still,
we sent up the S.O.S., but not altogether according to plan.

" A private soldier was responsible for the mistake, and
quite by accident set light to the rocket. Out rushed the com-
pany commander, exclaiming, ' My hat ! can I wash that signal
out ?' — but he was too late in getting a ladder to fetch the rocket
down. The result was an intense mutual strafe between our
artillery and the Bosche, much to the dislike of the poor infantry."

The tour in this sector came to an end soon afterwards, and
after a short rest to the west of Amiens, returned to the line
at the end of July.

Chapter XVI

THE BRAY-CORBIE ROAD

'IIT'ITH August began what the Army has agreed to call " The
'''' Hundred Days' Victory," which ended in the crowning
mercy of the Armistice, as Napoleon's famous Hundred Days'
Defeat ended in the crowning mercy of Waterloo.

Having relieved troops of the Australian Corps in the line
on the night of July 3oth-3ist, the Brigade at the beginning
of August was holding the front from the Somme, just west of
Sailly Laurette, northwards to a point 500 yards south of the
Bray-Corbie road — something a little over 2,500 yards. The
f^usiliers were on the right, and the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment on the left, with the Bedfordshire Regiment in reserve
behind Sailly-le-Sec. Brigade headquarters were in the cliffs
just north of the Somrae, about 400 yards west of Vaux.

On the night of August 2nd-3rd the Bedfordshire Regiment
reheved the other -two battalions in the front line, the latter
going into reserve to prepare for the proposed offensive to be
carried out at a later date.

It was a period of heavy thunderstorms and much mud.
The Australians, from whom we took over this sector, had been
carrying out an aggressive policy for several weeks — " Them
Aussies are real rough with Jerry !" as a private in one of the
relieving battalions was heard to remark — and this did not tend
to improve the trench system, for the Germans were still capable
of hitting back quite in their old style. The Australian policy
had been to allow the enemy to dig a front and support line,
and when this was nearing completion to attack and capture
it ; and as an attack of this nature had taken place the night
before we took over, the front was still in an active state. Our
lines consisted of a great number of trenches, the forward ones
only half dug, and by August 6th they were knee-deep in mud.

It is good to see the pleasures of trench warfare, now so soon
to come to an end, from some other point of view than that of
the P.B.I. — you can tell her that means " Poor Bloomin' In-
fantry " — so the following notes on this period by Captain
R. Weir, M.C., of the 8oth Field Company R.E., are of in-
terest : —

" On August 3rd, 1918, the company received orders to con-
struct brigade and battalion battle-posts on the south side of
the Bray-Corbie road, to be finished in the usual incredibly
short time.

161 M

l62

" In the afternoon I set out with the Brigade Major to inspect
the site of operations, armed with maps, hopelessly out of date ;
but the General had said the dug-outs were to be ' just beside
the old windmill,' and a trench map must surely be superfluous.
As usual in a new sector, we seemed to take every wrong turning
possible in the communication trench, and eventually arrived
at what our maps said was the front line. If the front line,
then someone must occupy it, so we turned northwards along
a fairly decent trench.

" We had gone but a short distance before the trench suddenly
came to dead end, and further careful consideration of the map
became necessary. This helped but little, and we got out on
top. We found that the trench started again about fifty yards
farther on, and made a dive for it. It was fairly good, but
after following it for 300 or 400 yards we became alarmed at
the total absence of garrison. Not a soul had we seen since
leaving Five Minute Valley, and the whole trench seemed to be
littered with Bosche equipment, but not the slightest evidence
that the British had ever been there.

" To meet the Bosche would be better than this loneliness,
so we pushed on. We hadn't gone very far before coming to
a cross-trench, with a very small dug-out on the corner. I
suppose we had disturbed the occupant, for on going to the
entrance an extremely sleepy sergeant looked out. Here at
last was the garrison. » ' Who are you ?' demanded the Brigade
Major. ' Trench mortars, sir.' ' Where is the nearest company'
headquarters ?' ' Don't know, sir.' ' Well, don't ration parties
pass this way ?' ' No, sir.' ' How long have you been here ?'
' Three days, sir.' ' Well, if you haven't seen anybody, how do
you get your rations ?' ' Brought three days' with me, sir.'
' Where is the front line ?' ' This is it, sir, and the outpost
is just in front.'

" We resumed our trudge, but had not made more than 300
yards when we got hopelessly tied up in a mixture of half-dug
trenches, and as it was getting late we decided to return and
get more definite information.

" Next morning I went off with a more up-to-date map that
someone had discovered, and very soon had my men started
on the new quarters. The sector was the most remarkable 1
had ever worked in. One could leave Five Minute Valley,
visit the front line, tour its whole length and return, and not
see a single soul beyond one's own working party. Happening
to pay a night visit to the line on the 5th, the mystery was
solved for me — the Brigade had resolved into a carrying party,
taking ammunition, etc., to the most forward positions.

" The enemy attack on the morning of the 6th upset all the
fine calculations. As is always the case in such affairs, the
situation remained quite obscure until late in the morning, but
it seemed fairly certain that any men working in the dug-outs

i63

at the time of the attack must surely be taken prisoners or
killed. The shift on the job at the time consisted of twenty-
two sappers and one officer. As soon as it became clear what
had happened, I hurried off to the forward billets in Five Minute
Valley. There I found every soul asleep, and totally unaware
that the Bosche was within a few hundred yards. The working
shift had not returned, nor had the officer, 2nd-Lieutenant
Mackay. It was at once evident that the whole lot had been
caught unawares and captured. It has since transpired that
only one man was out on top at the time, and in going down
to warn his mates was trapped with the rest.

" These forward billets were now, as billets, a little too for-
ward, and, with the sanction of the G.O.C., the men were with-
drawn. A motley lot they were, half asleep, each carrying
a dixie, or such, and, not having sufficiently grasped the situa-
tion, terribly fed up. As luck would have it, the officer in charge
of the new battalion headquarters had been wounded about
midnight of the 5th, and was on his way to the casualty clearing-
station instead of going to Germany.

" The battle of August 8th opened as all good battles should — ■
with the sappers standing by ready to dig strong points whenever
it became known that the infantry had advanced to their limit.
We were to work for a strange Brigade, however, the 54th
having been relieved by the 36th during the previous night.

" The 36th Brigade were so unfortunate as to be total strangers
to this sector, and, to make things worse, the dawn broke in
an extremely dense fog, and everybody was hopelessly lost.

" As time went on Brigade got extremely nervy ; no runner
had arrived from the attacking battalions, tanks were coming
back into ' stable ' as if the show were over, and not a man in
Brigade headquarters dare go a hundred yards from his
quarters for fear of losing his way. In the end the General
consented to be guided, and off we went in search of the lost
battalions. While doing this little tour the fog broke a little,
and by the time we had interviewed everybody we met, and
located the last battalion in the Quarry beside the Bray-Corbie
road, things began to clear up a bit.

" Next day the Americans carried the line well on towards
Bray, and to guard against accidents we erected a strong belt
of wire along the crest just in front of the final line of the first
day.

" The company rejoined the 54th Brigade at Hennecourt on
the loth."

It should be pointed out, in passing, that this area was familiar
to the Brigade as the scene of their earliest experiences in the
line, and from now onwards they were fighting over ground
which they had known in 19 15 and 19 16.

But to return now to the doings of the rest of the Brigade.

164

A rather ticklish business was down for the night of August
5th-6th, and the Germans took a hand in no very helpful spirit.

The 54th Brigade (then represented in the front line by the
Bedfordshire Regiment) were to be relieved by the 174th Brigade
(58th Division), and were, in their turn, to side-step to the north
and relieve the 55th Brigade astride the Bray-Corbie road. The
Bedfordshires themselves were to be relieved by the 8th London
Regiment, and then, side-stepping northwards, were to relieve
the 7th East Surrey Regiment, with their left on the road.
Obviously the latter relief could not begin till the Londons had
relieved the Bedfordshires. This side-slipping relief by the Bed-
fordshires was ordered to preserve quite fresh the other two
battalions of the Brigade for an assault on the 8th.

A relief is not an easy job at the best of times, and two reliefs
in one night are just twice as bad. In addition, all the con-
ditions were very unfavourable. The lines of approach which
the relieving troops had to use had been systematically shelled
for nights past, the ground was very muddy, the " going "
very bad both in and out of the trenches, and the night was very
dark.

In view of all this, O.C. Bedfordshire Regiment arranged for
the relief to begin at 8.15 p.m., but heard late in the evening
that the 174th Brigade had altered this to y.30 p.m., and it
was, as a matter of fact, exactly 10 p.m. before the guides were
able to start. The relieving troops were very tired.

By 3.30 a.m. on the 6th this part of the rehef was still incom-
plete, and O.C. Bedfordshire Regiment sent his adjutant to
O.C. East Surrey Regiment to inform him of this fact, and to
say that he intended to relieve the piquet, support, and reserve
lines by daylight, which the mist and the formation of the
ground allowed. The Bedfordshire Regiment's adjutant was
actually with O.C. East Surrey Regiment arranging this when
the German attack started. Matters were the more difficult
as communication with the front line was very slow, owing to
mist and mud, wires being useless owing to shelling.

The relief of the nth Royal Fusiliers and 6th Northampton-
shire Regiment was equally slow, and was not completed till
about 430 a.m.

Shortly after 4 a.m., while the rehef of the Bedfordshire
Regiment by the London Regiment was still incomplete, the
Germans introduced a quite unnecessary complication by put-
ting down a heavy artillery and trench-mortar barrage, at the
same time throwing gas shells in and around Brigade head-
quarters at Vaux, one falling be'tween the General's and the
Brigade Major's huts. This barrage was followed by a heavy
hostile infantry attack, pushed with great determination,
regardless of losses.

A great part of our outpost line was pierced and overrun,
both on that part still held by the unrelieved companies of the

i65

Bedfordshire Regiment and on the adjoining northward sector,
held by the East Surrey Regiment, who were awaiting relief
by the Bedfordshire Regiment. However, the Bedfordshiies
holding the piquet line stopped the (ierman advance on their
front, and, counter-attacking at once with their local supports,
drove back the enemy to the original line, which was later
handed over to the London Regiment.

A little later two companies of the Bedfordshire Regiment in
support cleared up the situation in the rear of the East Surrey
Regiment immediately south of the Bray-Corbie road, cap-
turing two of the enemy, releasing several of our men who had
been taken prisoners, and occupying the Cobar Trench in front
of the cemetery and quarry.

Some good work was done at this stage by Lieutenant D. P.
Cross, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, commanding the company
in the first line. Although both flanks of the position were
turned when the enemy overran the outpost line, he held his
ground, offering such a stubborn resistance, and giving such
vigorous assistance to our counter-attack, that he must be
regarded as very largely responsible for restoring the line and
arresting the German advance at this point. It was a good
example of the value of small bodies of troops holding their
ground even when surrounded, as the success of a local counter-
attack is thereby materially assisted. This officer won the
M.C. for his action on that occasion.

Another M.C. was won here by Lieutenant R. T. Oldfield,
also of the Bedfordshire Regiment. " When the hostile barrage
lifted off his trench Tsays the official account], he discovered
the enemy occupying the trench on his left. He at once made
a bomb-block, and moved a section of his platoon to prevent the
enemy working farther round his flank. Shortly afterwards he
was heavily attacked, but beat the attack off with rifle and
Lewis-gun fire, and finally, by a series of small local enter-
prises, forced the enemy on his front completely out of the
support system."

Other awards made in connection with good work at this
stage are worth quoting as illustrating the desperate character
of the fighting.

Corporal W. A. Ellis, D.C.M. : " About dawn on the bth was
in charge of the remnant of his platoon, which had already
suffered serious casualties. When the enemy recaptured the
forward posts, he went forward with a small party and a Lewis
gun for an immediate counter-attack. His action was the means
of restoring a large portion of our outpost line, and the capture
of eighteen of the enemy and three machine guns. By his
initiative, courage, and example he waS able to carry his small
command with him cheerfully through an exceptionally trying
ordeal, and successfully beat off several attacks."

1 66

Corporal W. Pennycock, D.C.M. : " Ascertaining that the
enemy had penetrated the front, he hurried back to his platoon,
and so distributed them as to protect the left flank of his bat-
talion. The enemy made three determined attacks on the
position held by this N.C.O., and were beaten back on each
occasion."

Sergeant F. M. Sims, D.C.M. : " Collected stragglers, rapidly
organized them into a firing line, and held off the German
advance on his platoon's front. Finding his left flank un-
covered, he at once established and manned a block. Through-
out the day the position held by the platoon under his command
was repeatedly attacked, in addition to several minor bombing
attacks. All these attacks were beaten off by rifle and Lewis-
gun fire."

The Brigadier now sent to Lieutenant-Colonel Foster, com-
manding the 6th Northamptonshire Regiment, to push out
battle patrols, each supported by one platoon. They had
orders to fill any gap on the main road between the Bedford-
shire and the East Surrey Regiments, to hold up any small
bodies of the enemy who might be moving west along the road,
and to send back all the news they could of the situation, which
at this time (5 a.m.) was necessarily still somewhat obscure.
As it turned out, Colonel Foster had anticipated this order,
and had also moved up two companies along the south of the
road. A little later the Brigadier moved his battle post to a
point a little west of the cemetery, where he was in closer touch
with the situation and his battalion commanders.

The prisoners captured a little earlier by the Bedfordshire
Regiment had established the fact ftiat the attack was being
carried out by battalions of the German 120th, 123rd, and 124th
Regiments, all of the 27th Division — a Storm Division which
had been out of the line carrying out intensive training for over
three months. This Division must have been put in specially
for the attack, as it relieved the 107th Division two nights
previously. It was evident that someone in Germany wanted
to abolish the 54th Brigade.

By 6 a.m. the Northamptonshire Regiment was counter-
attacking, and such good progress was made, in spite of heavy
rifle and machine-gun fire, that by 8 a.m. much of the lost ground
had been regained, and touch was restored with the left flank
of the Bedfordshire Regiment. During the fighting Colonel
Foster was wounded in the arm.

It was decided to counter-attack at dawn on the following
day, in order to recapture the original front, and thus to secure
the jumping-off place for the offensive planned for the 8th.
Our support and front lines were shelled steadily with artillery
and trench mortars throughout the rest of the day. Several
small local attacks were made by the enemy against the Bed-
fordshire Regiment in Cummin's Trench and the Northampton-

167

shire Regiment in ConamuUa Support, but all were beaten off
by rifle and Lewis-gun fire.

The counter-attack on the 7th was made by one company of
the Bedfordshire Regiment on the right, one company of the
Northamptonshire Regiment in the centre, and two companies
of the Royal Fusiliers (" B " and " D ") on the left. The
latter two companies were on the north side of the Bray-Corbie
road.

Our barrage came down at 4.40 a.m. on Croydon Trench,
and five minutes later moved on to Cummin's Trench. It had
been drizzling rain all night, the trenches were all deep in mud,
and the morning mist made visibility very poor. In spite of
this, touch was kept between the assaulting companies.

The attack on the right and centre went forward success-
fully, the Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire Regiments gain-
ing all their objectives. Twenty-five prisoners and thirty
machine guns, including one heavy machine gun, were taken,
and very heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy. As a matter
of fact, the enemy was on the point of launching an attack,
and his front-line and communication trenches were packed
with troops, who had a very thin time when our barrage came
down and our companies got among them.

In the meantime things had not been going so well on the
north of the Bray-Corbie road. A company of the 8th East
Surrey Regiment (35th Brigade) had been placed at the disposal
of this Brigade, and was to be placed on the left of the Royal
Fusiliers, to form the extreme left of our line.

Before our barrage opened, O.C. " B " Company, Royal
Fusiliers, our left-hand company, was endeavouring to get in
touch with this company of the East Surrey Regiment, but
was unable to find it. Just before the attack began a further
effort was made to find this company, but again with no result,
and there was a gap of about 300 yards on the left of our line.
Two platoons of Fusiliers were therefore put in to fill this gap.

When the attack went forward, the Fusiliers, after encounter-
ing and overcoming strong opposition in Croydon Trench,
pushed on and captured Cloncurry Trench (which here formed
the German front line), from where it crossed the Bray-Corbie
road to just south of Cloud Trench. Meanwhile a platoon had
fought its way up the latter trench and also reached Cloncurry
Trench, where it turned south and joined up with the rest of
the company.

On our extreme left O.C. " B " Company, Royal Fusiliers,
who was engaged in prolonging his left when the barrage opened,
in the endeavour to get touch with the East Surreys, or
at any rate to fill the gap, now advanced with two of his platoons.
Failing to get touch on either flank, however, he withdrew on
Burke Street, without reaching his objective.

i68

At 5.10 a.m. our protective barrage died down, according to
programme, and at 6 a.m. the enemy launched four simultaneous
counter-attacks for the recovery of Cloncurry Trench. All but
one were beaten off. In the latter case the platoon holding
a sector of the trench had used up all their bombs, and had to
fall back fighting near Cloud Support. A bank running parallel
to Croydon Trench greatly helped the enemy at this point.

Continual artillery, trench-mortar, and machine-gun fire was
kept on our support trenches, the head of Cloud Support be-
coming untenable, and movement in the shallow trenches very
difficult. A direct hit from a trench mortar knocked out a
Lewis gun which had been doing good work near the Bray-
Corbie road, and another strong attack gave the enemy a foot-
ing in another portion of Cloncurry Trench, along which he
began to bomb his way.

" D " Company of the Fusiliers stopped these attacks till all
their bombs were used up, and then fell back fighting on to
Croydon Trench, where bombing blocks were established. This
company now mustered one officer (Captain Baker, wounded)
and three men.

Early in the afternoon further efforts were made to get in
touch with the East Surrey Regiment on our left, and Lieutenant
Wixcey, of the Fusiliers, with the remnants of two platoons of
" B " Company, pushed up Croydon Trench and retook a part
of Cloncurry Trench, proceeding to work north and south.
After making some progress, these parties were heavily attacked,
and after holding out very gallantly for about half an hour
were forced back.

Under cover of heavy artillery and trench-mortar and machine-
gun fire, the enemy launched powerful attacks against the
Fusiliers about 3 p.m., and reached a part of Croydon Trench,
but were stopped there by remnants of " B " Company and a
Lewis gun.

The position now was that on the north of the Bray-Corbie
road the enemy held all Cloncurry and Croydon Trenches. A
hostile attack had gained a slight footing on Cummin's Trench
just south of the road, and a Lewis gun team had been com-
pletely wiped out, but the Northamptonshire Regiment had
regained this point. The line to the south of the road was now
intact. A section of the trench mortar battery, with 100
rounds per gun, was sent forward to support the Fusiliers.

As the enemy were in great force on the north of the road,
it was decided that no good purpose would be served by isolated
attacks, and that a concentration of artillery and trench mortars
should be brought to bear on the enemy, followed by a counter-
attack at 9 p.m., after a heavy bombardment.

Unfortunately, this plan was upset by two very gallant young
officers of the Fusiliers, who had done good work all day, and
fell at the head of their men early in the evening, launching a

1 69

counter-attack on their own initiative, before the plans for the.
combined counter-attack had reached them. This local counter-
attack, and a portion of the reserve having been used up, the
battalion was useless for further effort, and the Fusiliers eventu-
ally fell back to their original line.

In the early hours of the 8th the Brigade covered the forming
up of the 36th Brigade on the ConamuUa Support-Burke Trench
line, and was then withdrawn. Although the counter-attack of
the 7th did not wholly succeed, it held up the enemy, and con-
tributed to the success on the 8th, when the Morlancourt Ridge
position was carried according to programme. The 36th Brigade
performed the task originally allotted to this Brigade, for which
we were not available, owing to the hammering we had taken
on the 6th and 7th. Those best qualified to form and express
an opinion hold that, for the courage and initiative displayed
by junior officers and N.C.Os. commanding platoons and other
small bodies, the Brigade never had a more glorious day, in
spite of its lack of complete success, as the day of bitter fighting
astride the Bray-Corbie road.

Weight for weight, the Brigade probably never inflicted such
heavy losses on the enemy with the infantry weapons — bomb,
bayonet, and bullet. When the ground was walked over after-
wards, the heaps of German dead bore testimony to the hard-
hitting of our men when, driven back from their counter-attack,
they stood stubbornly at bay and refused to let the enemy pass.
The Fusiliers alone threw over a hundred boxes of bombs that
day. Prisoners captured by the Brigade between the 6th and
8th numbered one officer and fifty-seven other ranks, and
thirty-five machine guns were taken.

Three officers of the Fusiliers were awarded the M.C.

2nd-Lieutenant W. H, Measures, who commanded " C " Com-
pany in support, " considerably helped to strengthen the situa-
tion at two critical moments when immediate action was
necessary, and gained most valuable information by personal
reconnaissance. "

2nd-Lieutenant W. Ross " was given charge of two platoons
to support the attack in the evening. Seeing that their help
was urgently needed, he at once brought them into action in
a very skilful manner. Although subjected to intense machine-
gun fire, he moved about the shallow trench freely, encouraging
the men and superintending the bringing up of bombs. , His
example after a very trying day's fighting did much to hearten
the men."

Captain P. Baker " was in command of the right comp&ny
in the attack, and he displayed great initiative and dash in
getting to his objective, in spite of unexpected obstacles. Later
in the day, although both flanks were in the air, and he himself
was wounded, he showed great determination in holding on to
his position until only three men remained. He then crawled

back to the next trench and at once reorganized its occupants,
refusing to leave to have his wound dressed until ordered to
do so."

A number of awscrds were also made to non-commissioned
officers and men of the Fusiliers, including the following : —

Lance-Corporal G. H. Mallett, M.M. : " Finding the enemy
bombing up a trench on his flank, hurriedly organized a party,
and gathered all the bombs he could find. Though the men
were badly shaken and disorganized through the loss of nearly
all their company officers and N.C.Os., he succeeded in driving
the enemy off, inflicting heavy casualties, and saving his flank
from being driven in."

Private E. J. C. Burkes, D.C.M. : " Word was sent back that
bombs were urgently needed. He immediately jumped on to
the top, and, in spite of enemy barrage and machine-gun fire,
collected all the bombs he could lay hands on, and rushed
forward with them. ' When I came on the scene,' says his
company commander, ' 1 found the men applauding him and
cheering him on.' "

Private J. Leonard, M.M. : " Owing to casualties, he was the
only company runner available. He constantly carried messages
under heavy fire, and, although absolutely exhausted, insisted
in carrying on until the battalion was relieved. On one occasion,
although rendered unconscious by fatigue, he at once carried
on with his duties on recovering."

Lance-Corporal M. Day, M.M. : " The attack was held up by
fire from a machine gun. He promptly brought his Lewis gun
into action, engaged the enemy gun, and silenced it, thus enabling
the attack to be carried on to the final objective."

Private T. Maloney, M.M. : " Having his Lewis gun put out
of action by shell fire, searched for and discovered another gun,
took charge of it, and pushed forward with great energy and
initiative, thereby greatly assisting his company in reaching
their objective. His skilful use of the retrieved gun was of
vital importance at a most critical stage."

On leaving the line at this point the battalions were marched
back to bivouacs in Henencourt Wood. On the night of August
loth-iith they relieved the 141st Brigade in the sector extending
along the railway from the Albert-Millencourt road on the north
along the bank of the Ancre.

Chapter XVII
THE PASSAGE OF THE ANCRE-COMBLES

■fT^E now come definitely to the great turning-point of the long
* ' campaign, for the period which opened with the crossing of
the Ancre and the capture of Albert on August 22nd marked the
transition from trench to open warfare. After that success it
was clear that the Germans were beginning to crack up. It
was not always easy to appreciate this fact at the time, for the
enemy had still several good punches up his sleeve, and there
were nearly two and a half months of fighting yet to come,
with some very stiff fighting, before the Brigade reached Mormal
Forest behind its last barrage. But the German resistance
now took the form of defending one line after another. In fact,
we were opposed by strong rear-guards.

This period began for the Brigade without incident on the
night of August loth-iith, when the line was taken over from
the I4rst Brigade along the railway at the north-west corner
of Albert, near the site of the old Hairpin Trench. The North-
amptonshires were on the right, the Fusiliers on the left, and the
Bedfordshires ir^ reserve in the Melbourne line. Brigade head-
quarters were in dug-outs in a bank on the northern edge of
Henencourt Wood.

During this period there was plenty of work in reclaiming the
forward trenches and dug-outs recently occupied by the Germans,
especially in clearing deep dug-outs of gas and booby traps.
Active patrolling was carried out nightly to ascertain how Albert
was held by the enemy. It was found that the town was occu-
pied by small machine-gun posts of the enemy in cellars and
dug-outs, all very much on the alert. Our artillery was on
many occasions given targets on which they fired, with a view
to demolishing these posts.

On the night of August i8th the Brigade was relieved in this
sector, and on the 20th relieved parts of the 129th and 130th
American Regiments on the right of the divisional front, the
line being the railway embankment from the village of Dernan-
court northwards to the southern outskirts of Albert. Brigade
headquarters were about half a mile south of the village of Bresle.
The Northamptonshires were on the right, the Fusiliers on the
left, and the Bedfordshires in reserve.

The 55th Brigade were on our left, in the western outskirts
of Albert, and the 12th Division on our right. The enemy held
the line of the Ancre in strength, with Albert as a bridgehead.
171

172

The general role allotted to the Division was that of covering
the flank of the main attack of the Fourth Army by taking
Albert and the high ground to the east of this town. It was the
task of this Brigade to force the passage of the Ancre south of
Albert, and join up on the above-mentioned high ground with
the 55th Brigade.

The operation was one of some difficulty, as it involved the
carrying up of bridging material to get both infantry and horse
transport across the Ancre, which is here about 14 feet wide and
6 feet deep. The enemy had destroyed all bridges, and more-
over the low ground on either bank was swampy and much cut
up by shell fire, and the enemy held the farther bank, along the
Albert-Meaulte road, in some strength.

The task of getting the bridges across the river was under-
taken during the night of August 2ist-22nd by the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers. The light trestle
bridges were made by the Royal Engineers and brought up to
the railway embankment, whence they were carried to the river
and dropped across by the infantry. The fact that it was a
bright moonlight night was a great drawback, and there was
much cheerful chatter, promoted by the novelty and interest
of the task, which drew a good deal of hostile attention. Every
now and then you would meet a party returning from the river,
and they would hail you with, " We've dropped our bridge in
the river. Got to go back for another. Isn't it a lark ?"
But with all the fun that the British soldier finds in such odd
places, the job was carried through with splendid spirit. There
was, for instance, the case of Private F. G. Hughes, of the
Fusiliers, who was one of the bridging party. They catne under
heavy machine-gun fire at short range from the other side of
the stream, and found it almost impossible to get their bridge
across. Private Hughes at once jumped into the stream, seized
the end of the bridge, swam and waded across, and got it into
position under the fire of at least three machine guns.

Sergeant C. Robinson, of the Northamptonshire Regiment, did
a very similar thing, jumping into the river and helping to get
a bridge across under heavy fire.

During the night patrols succeeded in crossing the river, and
gained a footing on the Albert-Meaulte road, between Albert
and Vivier Mill, on our left. This greatly simplified the crossing
of the assaulting battalions in the early hours of the next morn-
ing. It was not until 2 a.m. on the 22nd that it was definitely
known that the ground which our barrage was to have swept
at the opening of our attack was already held by us, and this
necessitated amended orders being sent to the artillery and
machine gunners.

The crossing of the river by the infantry took place in the
early hours of the 22nd, and at zero hour (4.45 a.m.) the Royal
Fusiliers and three companies of the Northamptonshire Regiment,

173

forming the left of our attack, were formed up across the Ancre
on the Albert-Meaulte road between Albert and Vivier Mill.
This was to be their starting-point for the main attack of the
day on the high ground at the south-east corner of Albert.

In the meantime one company of the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment had crossed the river farther south, opposite Dernancourt,
fought their way along the east side of the river, past Meaulte,
and had now arrived to form the right of our attack.

At all the crossings there had been sharp fighting, which
resulted in the capture of German prisoners and machine guns.

Among the prisoners taken at an early stage of the proceed-
ings was a complete German battalion headquarters. In the
dug-out was found one of our own men, taken prisoner while
on patrol a few hours earlier, and he had the pleasure of escorting
the German battalion commander to the cages.

Some gallant work was done at the river crossings. On the
right a company of the Northamptonshire Regiment was held
up for a time by heavy machine-gun fire. In the face of this.
Company Sergeant-Major L. Radley and Sergeant A. Richardson
succeeded in getting across, and the enemy then withdrew.
The courage of this W.O. and N.C.O. was largely the means of
enabling their company to get forward.

Lieutenant H. Beckingham, of the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment, was in command of the first company to cross in his
battalion's area, and took charge of the bridging operations
under heavy machine-gun fire. He got his own company safely
across, and so enabled the rest of the battalion to cross and reach
the forming-up line.

Even when the river had been crossed, there was still a for-
midable belt of marshes to get over, especially in front of the
Fusiliers, and the difficulties are best illustrated by the official
accounts of actions for which medals were awarded. Here, as
elsewhere, these are only selections from long lists of awards,
and are given as throwing light on the operation ; —

Sergeant Patrick Ryan, Royal Fusiliers, D.C.M. ; " Two
platoons were held up in the marshes. This N.C.O. at once
went back under intense machine-gun and shell fire through a
most difficult marsh, and succeeded in guiding them to the only
path by which it was possible to reach the enemy's position."

Company Sergeant-Major A. W. Balchin, Royal Fusiliers
D.C.M. : " The company was in a disorganized state, having
had to wade through marshy ground, often over their hips.
Company Sergeant-Major Balchin, seeing the effect that the
deatJPi of the officers had on the men, at once went forward,
reorganized, and led them forward under intense machine-gun
fire. He succeeded in rushing the enemy's first position, thus
enabling the rest of the company to make their waj^ out of the
marshes and reform."

174

Private Charles Smith, Royal Fusiliers, M.M., " was in charge
of the company stretcher-bearers, and frequently took his party
across the most difficult marsh ground under intense machine-
gun fire. His coolness and example to the other stretcher-
bearers was undoubtedly the means of saving many wounded
men who would otherwise have sunk in the marsh and been
drowned."

The river having been crossed, the assaulting battalions
formed up on the Albert-Meaulte road, and at zero hour —
4.45 a.m. — on Augu.st 2nd went forward with tanks under cover
of a creeping barrage.

The enemy was holding his ground with a great number of
machine guns disposed in depth along the whole front. Over
eighty of these guns were captured and sent back, and many
more were destroyed by shell fire or left on the ground.

By eight o'clock the Northamptonshires had practically
reached their final objective for the day, and were consolidating
their line. On the left the Fusiliers had met with severe opposi-
tion, and suffered heavy casualties, from the direction of Albert,
Bellevue Farm, and Tara Hill. They were holding a line about
500 yards east of Bellevue, where they were afterwards relieved
by the Bedfordshire Regiment.

Orders were now received from the Division that, on the final
objective being reached, strong fighting patrols should be pushed
forward by bounds, the ground thus reconnoitred being made
good by companies following in close support. This was done
by the Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire Regiments, and in
the meantime the 8th Royal Berlcshire Regiment, temporarily
placed under the command of G.O.C. 54th Brigade, was moved
across the Ancre to support the farther advance.

The Fusiliers, being unable to get forward on their left flank,
which was in the air, until troops of the 55th Brigade who were
pushing through Albert advanced to join up, had to dig in with
their left flank thrown back to Black Wood. They were a
little later relieved by the Bedfordshires, who attacked and
captured an enemy strong point that had been causing some
trouble.

During these operations General Sadleir-Jackson was wounded
in the knee, having pushed into the front line, the better to
control the situation. This bit of bad luck kept him away from
the Brigade till after the armistice. Command of the Brigade
was taken over on the spot, as a temporary measure, by Lieu-
tenant-Colonel A. E. Percival, of the Bedfordshire Regiment,
and was afterwards held by Brigadier-General J. A. Tyler and
Brigadier-General O. C. Borrett, until the armistice. General
Sadleir-Jackson rejoined us a little after that date.

The final stage of the operations on August 22nd were marked
by some good work by a platoon of the Bedfordshire Regiment,
led by 2nd-Lieutenant W. Ashton, who was awarded the M.C.

175

Says the official account : —

" Tliis officer advanced with one platoon against heavy
machine-gun fire, and managed to capture a trench on Tara
Hill, from which enemy machine guns had been active all day,
driving out the enemy and capturing a machine gun. He was
entirely unsupported in this attack, which was carried on with
great dash, and enabled the battalion on his right to advance,
as from this position he could overlook any enemy machine guns
that tried to engage them at close range. Though sniped at
continuously, he established posts on his flanks, and a block
in a communication trench, and held on till relieved in the
evening."

Throughout August 23rd the Northamptonshire Regiment on
the right and the Bedfordshire Regiment on the left maintained
a constant pressure on the enemy, and succeeded in advancing
the line another 1,000 yards by a series of rushes. Otherwise
the day was uneventful so far as this Brigade was concerned,
but the Brigade on our left carried out an important attack,
which cleared the ridges dominating Albert, and left that
shattered town finally in our hands.

The next few days saw steady progress. It was clear that
the enemy was thoroughly disorganized, such counter-attacks
as he made being desperate rearguard affairs carried out by any
troops who happened to be on hand, without any general plan.

At 2.30 a.m. on August 25th the Brigade again attacked,
with the Northamptonshire Regiment on the right and the Bed-
fordshire Regiment on the left, each on a two-company front,
the intention being to secure as much ground jis possible without
becoming too heavily engaged.

Becourt Wood was soon cleared, and the leading companies
then pushed up the hill and on towards Fricourt — scene of the
Brigade's earliest experiences of the Hne, and now to be re-
taken by them. Opposition had now weakened considerably,
and by the time our advanced patrols reached Fricourt the
enemy was well on the run.

By the evening of August 26th the final objective of the
Brigade had been taken by the Fusiliers, who were now fighting
over the old German trench system where the Brigade won its
spurs in July, igi6. This point having been reached, the
Brigade was in reserve on August 27th and 28th, returning to
the line on the night of August 2Sth-29th, when the whole of
the divisional front was taken over and the advance on Combles
continued.

Trones Wood, of proud memories, now roughly formed our
front line, which ran along the eastern edge as far as the light
railway, and was then thrown back towards the outskirts of
Longueval. This line was held by the Northamptonshire Regi-
ment on the right and the Bedfordshire Regiment on the left,
with the Fusiliers in reserve near Caterpillar Wood.

176

Orders were to hold this line and to act as advanced guard
to the Division when the line went forward. To assist in this,
the 82nd Brigade R.F.A., " A " and " B " Companies i8th
Machine Gun Battalion, " B " Squadron Otago Mounted Rifles,
and one company 22nd Corps Cyclists, were allotted to the
Brigade commander.

In the early hours of August 29th the Bedfordshire Regiment
sent forward strong patrols, which, after meeting some slight
opposition, were able to advance rapidly in the direction of
Guillemont. By this time the 3Sth Division was well forward
on our left, and accordingly the Northamptonshire Regiment
took up the pursuit, the site of the village of Guillemont, of
which no trace now remained, being passed by 7 a.m. with little
or no opposition.

This having been reported, the Brigade was ordered to advance
by bounds, and for the rest of the day steady progress was made,
the leading companies in open formation, and the rest of the
battalions coming along in column of route like a " sealed
pattern " advance across the Long Valley at Aldershot. Field
guns were up with the infantry, shooting over open sights at
the Germans on the high ground beyond Combles. By 9 a.m.
the Bedfordshire Regiment had reached Leuze Wood, meeting
only slight rifle and machine-gun opposition, and taking a few
prisoners, and by evening our line had reached the eastern
outskirts of Combles, with the left flank bent back towards
Bouleaux Wood.

That night, while the Bedfordshire Regiment was holding an
outpost line on the edge of Combles, a motor-car occupied by a
British staff officer dashed through the village, ignored or failed
to hear the shouted warnings, and rushed on right into a German
post. The Germans bombed vigorously, the driver was wounded,
and the staff officer himself escaped by falling hurriedly into a
ditch, from which he escaped to our lines some hours later.
The car was still standing by the roadside, disabled, when our
line advanced on the following day.

At this time Brigade headquarters were established on the
slope of a hill, where the slightest movement brought down a
German " hate." Accommodation was limited, and that night
the two junior subalterns on the Brigade staff crawled into a
hole in the back and fell asleep, cheerfully convinced that they
would either be turned out or blown out of their shelter before
daylight.

Early next morning they were awakened by guttural noises,
and were startled to see a face under a Bosche helmet peering
in at the entrance. They jumped up, grabbed their revolvers,
and dashed out after the retreating figure, which proved to be
that of the Brigade Major in a tin hat borrowed from a German
prisoner. One wonders whether the Germans were playing
practical jokes on one another at this stage of the war.

177

It was decided to attack at dawn on the following day
(August 30th), the Fusiliers to pass through the Northampton-
shire Regiment, and the Bedfordshire Regiment to go forward
on the left if this attack were successful. However, the attack
made at 5.15 a.m. was met with heavy hostile fire, and although
the general line of the Combles-Priez Farm road was reached,
a stronghold at the latter point held out stubbornly. It was
now apparent that the enemy was in strength on the Fregi-
court line, and being steadily reinforced, and all our local efforts
to get forward were beaten back. An attack by the Northamp-
tonshire Regiment on the following day (August 31st) carried
the line farther forward on our right, but the possession of Morvel
by the enemy on our left still held piatters up. The line as then
reached was, with little variation, held till the Brigade was
relieved on the night of September 4th-5th, and concentrated
in the Leuze Wood area for rest and training.

Some idea of the successful character of the fighting which
has necessarily been thus briefly summarized is shown by the
record of prisoners taken by the Brigade. The total for August
was 22 officers and 1,385 other ranks, made up as follows : —

Royal Fusiliers, 3 officers, 450 other ranks ; Bedfordshire
Regiment, 2 officers, 198 other ranks ; Northamptonshire Regi-
ment, 17 officers, 737 other ranks.

Chapter XVIII

THROUGH THE HINDENBURG LINE

'TpHE next phase of the fighting concerns the capture of Ronssoy
* and Vendhuille, which resulted in the piercing of the much-
vaunted Hindenburg Line.

On September i6th the Brigade moved up by 'busses from
Guillemont to the neighbourhood of Gurlu Wood, and at dusk
on the 17th moved up to the forming places for the attack of
the 1 8th on Ronssoy and the high ground beyond, which gave
good observation over the Hindenburg Line at Vendhuille and
the canal.

For the purposes of this operation the 7th Royal West Kent
Regiment was attached to the Brigade. The attack was to be
carried out under a creeping barrage as follows ; —

The forming-up line was on the east of St. Emilie. The Royal
West Kent Regiment was to advance at zero and capture a
line roughly two miles ahead, running north and south on the
farther outskirts of Ronssoy. The Bedfordshire Regiment was
then to go through the Royal West Kent Regiment, and con-
tinue the advance in an easterly direction to a line at the junc-
tion of the Bellicourt and Guillemont roads.

The Royal Fusiliers on the right, and the Northamptonshire
Regiment on the left, had then to form a line facing north
(that is to say, at right angles to the objective of the Royal West
Kent Regiment) and attack northwards to a line that would
include May Copse and Lempire. This was evidently a rather
sticky proposition, and, as events proved, it did not succeed
in reaching the whole of its objectives.

The next day of the attack began with very unpleasant
weather. At 12.30 a.m. rain began to fall, and continued till
about 9 a.m. It was very dark, and a strong wind was blowing.
In spite of these difificulties, however, the Brigade reached the
forming-up places in time, with the exception of the rear
company of the Northamptonshire Regiment, which was ten
minutes late, and in consequence suffered rather heavily from
the enemy barrage.

At zero (5.20 a.m.) it was still pitch dark, but the assaulting
troops got well away under our barrage, and the Royal West
Kents reached their objective approximately up to time. The
Bedfordshires, who were to leap-frog them, assisted them to
clear the enemy out of a small copse at an early stage of the
attack, and afterwards had almost continuous fighting, but

178

179

passed through the first objective and reached their own objec-
tive about 7 a.m. They had captured large numbers of prisoners
on the way, but it was some hours before the whole of the
village was " mopped up," a job in which two tanks attached
to the Brigade did splendid service.

By 7.20 a.m. the Royal Fusiliers and the Northamptonshires
had reached their forming-up line, which ran east and west
through the northern side of Ronssoy, and were facing north
behind the new barrage which had now been put down to help
them forward. They had already been engaged with small
pockets of the enemy who had put up local delaying actions,
especially in Ronssoy Wood, which was cleared by the North-
amptonshires. Owing to the resistance encountered, and the
nature ot the ground in the village and wood, these troops were
now somewhat mi.\ed up.

It was at this stage that Lance-Corporal Albert Lewis, of the
Northamptonshire Regiment, won the Victoria Cross. Un-
happily, he was killed three days later while again doing splendid
work. The official account reads : — ■

" On the morning of September i8th, 1918, this N.C.O. was
in charge of a section which he had successfully kept together.
He was on the right of the line, and the battalion started to
advance to attack Ronssoy, where the east and west barrage
opened.

" The battalion advanced to a point where the enemy machine-
gun fire was so intense that it wa^-. a practical impossibility to
get forward. The barrage went on, and the battalion was
temporarily held up. This man, working with his section on
the right amongst the ruins, observed two enemy machine guns
opposite him enfilading the whole battalion. He crawled for-
ward single-handed on his own initiative with bombs, got
within bombing range, and successfully bombed the teams
manning the enemy's guns. The enemy left their guns and ran
out of the emplacement. Lance-Corporal Lewis thereupon used
his rifle with good effect, and the whole team surrendered.
He wounded six and captured four unwounded. By his courage
and determination in putting out of action two enemy machine
guns, he undoubtedly enabled the battalion to advance, and so
contributed largely to the success that followed.

" Later, on September 21st, during another attack, this N.C.O.
displayed splendid power of command. When his company was
caught in the enemy barrage, he was the first to rush them
through it, until they came under heavy fire from enemy machine
guns, whereupon he immediately began to place them out in
shell holes. While doing this he was killed."

During the morning these battalions attacked northwards,
according to programme. The Northamptonshire Regiment
reached Quid Copse on their left, and joined up with the Royal
Fusiliers along Ridge Reserve. The clearing of the village in

i8o

the rear of this line was still in progress. By the evening this
had been done. At 5 p.m. the 55th Brigade attacked through
the line we held, and some progress was made ; but the enemy
put in a counter-attack, with the result that at dusk they were
still in strength in Quenchettes Wood, X, Y and Z Copses, the
north-east part of Lempire, Enfer Wood, and May Copse.

There was a good deal of shelling during the night, and at
dawn it was found that the enemy had adjusted his line by
withdrawing at some points. As a result, the Northampton-
shires on the left occupied the line May Copse-Enfer Wood,
and the Bedfordshires were able to send patrols into X, Y and
Z Copses, which, however, were not yet clear of the enemy.
That night the Northamptonshires and part of the Fusiliers
were relieved by the 37th Brigade (12th Division), and con-
centrated in Ronssoy Wood.

It had now been established that Ronssoy had been held by
the ist Guards Grenadier Regiment (the Alexander Regiment),
of the 2nd Guards Division. Six hundred prisoners from this
Division and the 232nd Division were taken on the i8th. The
stubborn resistance offered during these days showed the in-
tention of the Germans to hold this ground at all costs as a
bastion to the Hindenburg system, and this was confirmed by
prisoners' statements. In all, the Brigade had taken about
900 prisoners up to this time. Three guns had been taken by
the Northamptonshire Regiment and two by the Royal Fusiliers.

It was now decided to renew the attack on September 21st,
with a view to capturing the remainder of the objectives of
September i8th. In the larger scheme (which included an
attack on the Knoll by the 53rd Brigade, and on Guillemont
Farm by the 231st Brigade) this Brigade was to attack the
intervening trenches. The Bedfordshires were to be on the
right, and the Northamptonshires on the left, with the Fusiliers
in reserve. The Knoll mentioned above was a feature of great
tactical importance, as it commanded Vendhuille and the canal
crossing at the village, and gave a view over the whole of the
Hindenburg main line on the front of the 18th Division. The
trenches to be attacked by this Brigade lay between the Knoll
and the Farm.

Zero was fixed at .5.40 a.m. on the 21st, and the forming-up
line (the Bellicourt road) was reached without incident. But
the enemy appear to have been aware of our intentions, for they
shelled the area heavily, and put down a barrage very promptly
at zero.

The Division on our right (74th) got on well, but swung
slightly to the right, leaving a gap on the right of the Bedford-
shires, about Pot Trench, which caused difficulties. Some of
the Bedfordshires appear to have reached Doleful and Duncan
Posts, but could not maintain their position. The attack having
been held up, and the enemy showing signs of a possible counter-

attack, the Fusiliers, who were reorganizing in Ronssoy, were
ordered at about ii a.m. to be ready to move up at half an
hour's notice. Soon afterwards the battalion was ordered to
move two companies (organized as one company owing to
casualties) to hold the line Shamrock Trench and a trench
between Hussar road and Bellicourt road, and the remaining
two companies (also organized as one company) were placed
at the disposal of O.C. Bedfordshire Regiment.

By 12 noon touch had been gained with one company North-
amptonshire Regiment, who had pushed on and gained Island
Traverse, where they had both flanks in the air and were prac-
tically surrounded. During the afternoon they were forced to
retire, but fell back fighting, bringing their prisoners with them,
and inflicting heavy casualties. By 5 p.m. they rejoined the
rest of their battalion near Holland Post.

Orders were now given for night attacks by the Northampton-
shire Regiment on Doleful Post and the Bedfordshire Regiment
on Duncan Post.

The company of the Northamptonshire Regiment that had
previously fought its way to Island Traverse and out again
was detailed for the Doleful Post venture, and we will follow
their doings first.

The barrage came down at midnight, and at 12.15 a.m., with
a little moonlight to show the way, the Northamptonshire
Regiment storming party, about thirty strong, moved off. , The
attack was completely successful ; the post was captured, about
twenty of the enemy being killed and over forty captured, our
own casualties being three slightly wounded.

Careful reconnaissance of the position before the attack by
2nd-Lieutenant R. Bland, of the Northamptonshire Regiment,
had contributed very largely to this good result. He was
awarded the M.C., the official account stating : —

" He was in command of a storming party, with orders to
capture and consolidate a post held by the enemy. His skilful
reconnaissance of the position enabled him to bring his party
forward in extended order until each man was in jumping
distance from the trench. At a given signal the whole party
stormed the trench, captured the whole post and forty-eight
prisoners, and killed about twenty of the enemy, with a loss
of three casualties slightly wounded. The success was due to
the personal courage of this officer, and to his skilful organiza-
tion and reconnaissance."

For the same operation a M.C. was also awarded to 2nd-
Lieutenant E. Marlow, who led his men into the trench, which
he was one of the first to enter. There he shot two of the
enemy, which caused some confusion and enabled the rest of
the trench to be rushed.

The composite company of the Fusiliers temporarily attached
to the Bedfordshire Regiment was sent over at 12.15 a.m., but

through force of circumstances not under control of the officers
swung too far to the right, and instead of capturing Duncan
Post, captured Cat Post and parts of Dog Trench and Pot Lane,
where they estabhshed themselves, and sent back twenty
prisoners. This left the enemy in Duncan Post and Duncan
Avenue, between this company of the Fusiliers and the North-
amptonshires who were now in Doleful Post.

At I p.m. the artillery were warned that the enemy were
dribbling forward in front of Doleful Post, as though pre-
paring to counter-attack. Major Keep, temporarily com-
manding the Bedfordshire Regiment, had arranged an attack
to clear the trenches about Duncan Post at 3 p.m., after a ten
minutes' bombardment. However, this preliminary bombard-
ment did not take place, as the artillery were standing by for
the expected counter-attack on Doleful Post. One field gun
alone was available, and opened fire over open sights at about
1,400 yards, with excellent results. The attack was carried
out by Lieutenant R. T. Oldfield and and-Lieutenant W. Pen-
nington, of the Bedfordshire Regiment, with forty-four men,
and was completely successful, the entire objective being cap-
tured. Between 150 and 200 prisoners were taken, and these,
owing to the small numbers of our storming party, had to be
handed over to the 74th Division. About 200 Germans were
killed, 80 dead, and 30 machine guns being found in Duncan
Post alone. About 100 of the enemy ran eastwards, and were
pursued by the attached company of the Fusiliers.

Just as this capital little operation was being finished off,
the Germans made the expected counter-attack on Doleful Post,
with about one battalion. The S.O.S. was put up, and our
barrage came down at once, unfortunately catching some of the
pursuing Fusiliers.

The attack got within fifty yards of our line at Doleful Post,
and was there completely stopped by rifle and Lewis-gun fire.
As the enemy were unable either to advance or to return our
fire, they returned through our barrage, which did tremendous
execution. Some who took cover in shell-holes in front of the
post were taken prisoners.

At 5 p.m. the enemy again attacked Duncan and Doleful
Posts, but were again driven off with heavy loss, leaving about
twenty prisoners in our hands.

The excitement of the troops who took part in the literal
annihilation of the enemy during these counter-attacks was un-
precedented, and morale and confidence were at the highest
possible pitch. Companies of the Fusiliers and Northampton-
shires both left their trenches in pursuit. During one of the
counter-attacks a stretcher-bearer was seen running up and
down the parados of the trench, throwing clips of ammunition
to the defenders, and shouting, " Shoot, boys, shoot 1" as if
watching the exciting finish of a football match.

i83

At dusk the line now held by the Brigade was consolidated
with the assistance of the 8oth Field Company R.E., under
Captain Weir, and the 8th Royal Sussex Pioneers. That night
the Brigade was relieved by the 55th- Brigade and marched
back to bivouacs around St. Emilie Quarries. On the 24th the
battalions marched farther back to Nurlu.

About 400 prisoners had been taken in these operations of
the past two days, and the Bedfordshires captured five 4*2 guns
at Quenchettes Wood. A very large number of machine guns,
trench mortars, and anti-tank rifles were also taken.

Of splendid individual work during the past few days there
had been almost countless instances, and a selection from the
official accounts on which medals were awarded can only aim
at giving a few typical cases.

Among the Fusiliers, Captains G. E. Cornaby and W. Horn-
feck were awarded the M.C. Of the former it is recorded that
" on September i8th, owing to fog, the attacking lines of three
battalions became greatly mixed. On arriving at Ronssoy, this
officer, with absolute disregard to personal safety, and in spite
of heavy machine-gun fire, exposed himself freely in order to
get his men reorganized, and at once led them forward. This
enabled his company to keep up with the barrage, which they
would have otherwise missed, and to gain practically the whole
of their objectives."

Captain Hornfeck, " in conjunction with Captain Cornaby,
led his men forward, and, in spite of his exposed right flank,
and heavy machine-gun and point-blank artillery fire from that
direction, succeeded in gaining his objective, capturing two field
guns and several trench mortars. On Captain Cornaby be-
coming a casualty, he took command in this area, reorganized
round the principal strong points, and drove off two counter-
attacks."

Private F. T. Day, of the same battalion, won the D.C.M.
at Duncan Avenue on September 22nd. " This man [says the
official account], with his Lewis gun, frequently placed himself
in most exposed positions, in order to engage enemy machine
guns. On each occasion he put the enemy team out of action,
enabling our waves to get forward . When his gun was eventually
put out of action, he picked up a rifle and vigorously sniped the
enemy, with excellent results."

Private Alfred Smith, also of the Fusiliers, was awarded the
M.M. " On the 18th the officer and all N.C.Os. of his platoon
had become casualties, and the men were badly shaken. He
at once took charge of the remains of his platoon, and displayed
qualities of leadership and extraordinary energy. His quick
grasp of the situation enabled him to get on to the objective
with the rest of his company, after having been cut off through
the harassing fire of an enemy machine gun, which he eventually
put out of action."

Corporal J. Hurst, who already wore the M.M., now won the
D.C.M. when in charge of a party " mopping up " Ronssoy.
" His keenness and good leadership accounted for at least five
officers and forty men being captured. He also secured a signal
station complete, shooting the operator who was sending a
message."

Lieutenant R. T. Oldlield, whose work at Duncan Post has
already been mentioned, was awarded a bar to the M.C. he won
in August. Says the official account : " He was in command
of an assaulting company wfiich had been very much dis-
organized and reduced by enemy barrage and machine-gun fire.
Realizing that both flanks were exposed, he rallied all men in
his vicinity, and made a thorough reconnaissance of the country,
locating the enemy's positions. He arranged for the co-opera-
tion of four machine guns, and led two successful bombing
attacks, which enabled him to get into touch with units on
both flanks, and surround a large body of the enemy who were
duly cleared up. He reorganized and consolidated his position,
and kept his men cheerful, despite the fact that they were very
exhausted by four days' fighting."

The M.C. was awarded to and-Lieutenant W. Pennington.
" He took command of a company in action, when the position
was very obscure, extricated his company, and proceeded to
outflank an enemy strong point by marching through the next
division and attacking from the fiank. He manceuvred his com-
pany into position, commenced a whirlwind attack with all
weapons at his disposal, and so disconcerted the enemy that he
was able to get in at their rear and capture many prisoners."

A D.C.M. was well won by Private W. A. Suffolk, of the same
battalion, at Ronssoy on September i8th. " His platoon came
under heavy machine-gun lire, which seemed likely to impede
seriously its advance. Private Suffolk advanced alone along
the bank of a sunken road under heavy fire from two machine
guns, and rushed the first, putting the team out of action. Then
working his way round behind the second one, he sniped the
team, killing them all, and tfius allowing his platoon to con-
tinue its advance."

Captain A. J. Frost, of the Northamptonshire Regiment, won
a bar to his M.C. on the i8th. " The battalion was held up by
twelve machine guns and a field gun firing over open sights.
He managed to get his company some 150 yards forward by
short rushes to within. about sixty yards of two machine guns.
Seeing a tank come into view, he rushed the position and brought
enfilade Lewis-gun fire to bear on the enemy line."

Private Ernest Mead, of the saxne battalion, won the D.C.M.
on September 21st. " The company was far in advance of any
other troops. The objective trench was seen to be occupied.
Lewis guns being laid in position, the captain called for a volun-
teer to creep forward with him and try and hold up the enemy.

1 85

and thus enable the company to advance. Private Mead,
with his captain, crawled up and jumped into the trench, and
while the enemy were holding up their hands the company
occupied the trench."

An amusing story of the Fusiliers' attack on Ronssoy, on the
i8th, is told by a sergeant of that battalion, who writes : —

" Having taken the village, we met with very heavy shell
fire, both from our own and the enemy's guns. As things were
getting very uncomfortable, our sergeant-major led us through
the village out into open country, where we caught sight of the
Bosche retiring for all he was worth. He then gave us orders
to extend and open fire. As it became impossible for him to
give any further orders by word of mouth, he had to fall back
on the barrack-square system of extended order drill with
whistle. Throughout the morning we kept advancing by the
whistle, and, strange to say, our sergeant-major was escorted
by a Jerry prisoner eating black bread and sausage. Several
times he ordered him to go back, even threatening to shoot
him, but he could not get rid of this docile prisoner until we
finally reached our objective, when he was sent back under
escort to the cage."

It was on the same day that the Brigade intelligence officer
was detailed to return to rear Brigade headquarters, together
with a few prisoners, and prepare for the return of the remainder
of the staff. Tired and dirty, he picked out the best-looking
Bosche, all of whom had their greatcoats on, and loaded him
up with tin-hat, glasses, compass, and all the other useless
things that one always drags into battle.

This particular Bosche did not seem over pleased, but stumbled
back under the heavy load. Later in the day he was detailed
for various unpleasant jobs given to prisoners of war, but in
the middle of dinner, in the presence of the whole staff, he came
in and remonstrated against a certain job. On taking off his
greatcoat it was observed that he was a captain in the Prussian
Guard !

After the same fight a certain staff officer of the Brigade was
also walking back accompanied by a German prisoner, who was
carrying, amongst other things, the officer's red-banded cap.
There was a shout from a group of our men sitting by the road-
side : " B'lime, Fritz, you got on the blinkin' staff, too !"

It was, I think, the same obliging prisoner who, when a shell
burst rather near, came running up to the Brigade officer and
handed him his tin hat — a thoughtful attention that was much
appreciated.

After the strenuous days in and around Ronssoy, the rest at
Nurlu w.as very welcome ; but it did not last long, and on the
night of September ayth-sSth the battalions marched forward
to a concentration area in bivouacs between Epetry and Guyen-
court, with a view to taking part in an attack on the Hindenburg
Line on the 29th.

i86

While the Brigade was at Nurin, General Lee, the Divisional
Commander, addressed the troops, congratulating them on their
splendid achievements, and informing them that the Army Com-
mander had done the Division the honour of selecting it to
remain in the Fourth Army to take part in the final breaking
of the Hindenburg Line.

The main attack was to be carried out by the 27th American
Division and other Divisions to the south. The i8th Division
was to attack on the left of the Americans, with two objects : —

1. To protect the left of the American Division by gaining
complete observation over Vendhuille and the canal, and by
keeping constant pressure on the enemy in this direction. This
task was allotted to the 54th Infantry Brigade. It was decided
that the nth Royal Fusiliers and the 6th Northamptonshire
Regiment should attack on the left and right respectively,
with the 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment in reserve.

2. To "mop up" Vendhuille as soon as American progress
farther south permitted, and to prepare a passage for other
Divisions to pass through. This task was allotted to the
55th Brigade.

A force known as the " liaison force " was also organized
under the 54th Infantry Brigade, with a special mission. It
consisted of two companies 2nd Bedfordshire Regiment, " B "
Company i8th Machine Gun Battalion, Both Field Company R.E.,
and a detachment of the 54th Infantry Brigade Signal Section.
It was commanded by Major Patterson, M.C., 18th Machine
Gun Battalion, and its tasi was to accompany the American
attack on the southern side of the Macquincourt Valley, take
up a position astride the canal, and prevent the enemy by fire
from destroying the bridges. As soon as opportunity offered,
the R.Es. were to push into the village to reconnoitre the bridges
and report. Three sections of the 8oth Field Company, with
one company Bedfordshires as escort, were kept in reserve at
Brigade headquarters for work on the bridges.

The Americans attacked and captured the Knoll (which over-
looked Vendhuille) on the 27th, but were unable to maintain
their gains. Another attack, in which this Brigade was to take
part, was therefore arranged for the 2gth, the Fusiliers (on the
left) and Northamptonshires (on the right) being detailed for
the operation.

The forming-up places were about Sart Farm (roughly on a
line between Doleful Post and Lempire Post), and there was a
good deal of shelling of this area, including gas, the enemy
apparently being suspicious. Casualties, however, were not
numerous, and the assaulting battalions got well away at zero
(5.40 a.m.). The attack was to be made in a north-easterly
direction, with the objective a trench line on the nearer out-
skirts of Vendhuille.

i87

On the left the Fusihers, having the Tombois road to guide
them, kept direction without difficulty, in spite of mist, smoke,
and enemy gas. On the right, however, the American troops
appeared to lose direction slightly, and left a gap between the
Northamptonshires and themselves. This caused the North-
amptonshires to swing to the right, and some were carried on
beyond and to the right of their objectives, and were lost.

However, the Fusiliers and the left of the Northamptonshires
reached their objective up to time ; the right of the Northamp-
tonshires were engaged in heavy fighting on the Knoll, but
eventually established a line roughly along the Knoll Switch.
On reports that the American advance was proceeding well, the
company of the Bedfordshires in reserve to the liaison force
was moved forward to Dose Trench about 8 a.m., but was sent
back to the battalion in Ronssoy Wood in the afternoon, when
it was found that the liaison force would not be able to carry
out its role.

Fighting continued throughout the morning on the Knoll,
the enemy making several counter-attacks, which were all
beaten off. Rifle and machine-gun fire from Guillemont Farm
on our right, which was still held by the enemy, proved trouble-
some and hindered movement. In the afternoon enemy artil-
lery was active, and the front line of the Fusiliers in particular
came in for rather rough handling.

That night there was little activity on either side, and we
took the opportunity to consolidate and reorganize on and
around the Knoll. At dawn on the 30th the Brigade was dis-
posed as follows : On the right, the Northamptonshires in Knoll
Support and Switch and Tiger Trench ; on the left, the Fusiliers
in Tino Trench and Support, Spree Lane, Bell Avenue, and
Tombois Trench. The 7th Queen's (55th Brigade), who had
been placed at the disposal of this Brigade as counter-attack
battalion, was in support in Lark Trench, Causeway Lane,
Fog Trench, and London Road. The Bedfordshires were in
reserve in Ronssoy Wood. What may appear a list of almost
meaningless names in the foregoing will be of interest to those
of the Brigade who were in the line at this important stage of
the proceedings.

About 10 a.m. there were signs that the enemy were with-
drawing on our front, and patrols reached Vendhuille without
much opposition. Accordingly, by about noon most of the
troops had moved forward to Vendhuille Trench, and the
Fusiliers were pushed ahead to "mop up" the village. Rather
acrimonious discussions with the enemy tended to hinder this
work, and two companies of the Bedfordshire Regiment were
ordered forward to assist, but the job had been completed when
they arrived.

Orders were received from Division in the afternoon not to
fight for the Vendhuille bridges, but to establish an outpost

line along the west bank of the canal, and push patrols across
if possible to locate the enemy. This line was accordingly
established, but snipers and machine guns prevented the crossing
by patrols.

That night the Bedfordshire Regiment relieved the Fusiliers
and Northamptonshire Regiment in the line, and on October ist
this Brigade was relieved by the Scottish Horse (149th Brigade).
On October 2nd the Brigade embussed at Guyencourt for Mol-
liens-au-Bois, and there for a short time had a well-earned rest.

Chapter XIX
LE CATEAU AND THE ARMISTICE

JIJI ID-OCTOBER saw the Brigade moving forward again for
^^^ what was to prove the last phase of the war.

Looking back on the war, it is very easy to regard the last days
of October and the early days of November as a sort of triumphant
procession, in which our troops marched gaily eastward in column
of route, while a beaten and disorganized enemy hurried towards
his own frontier without firing a shot. Such an impression is
not only bad history, but is very unjust to the men who took
part in the last operations. These may have been only a last
desperate rearguard action, but the 54th Brigade will ever
remember that the Germans on our part of the front had still
a number of hard punches up their sleeves, and we were yet to
lose many good comrades before the white flag came out of the
enemy's lines. As a matter of fact, the Brigade's casualties in
these last days were 26 officers and 675 other ranks, the heaviest
in the Division.

On October 17th the Brigade moved up by train to the Nurlu
area, and on the following day moved by 'busses to Serain, where
we were destined to spend some time after the Armistice, and
where the last Divisional review, referred to in Chapter I, was
held. On the igth the Royal Fusiliers and Bedfordshire Regi-
ment went forward to Maurois (about four miles south-west of
Le Cateau), andon the followingday the Northamptonshires were
sent up to Reumont in the same area.

On the night October 20th- 21st the Brigade relieved the
199th Brigade in the line north-east of Le Cateau. The line
here ran along the railway embankment of the Le Cateau-
Neuvilly railway, and we had the enemy on the high ground
directly to our east. The Northamptonshire Regiment remained
at Reumont. The line was near enough to Le Cateau for the
reserve companies to be accommodated there. It was not
altogether a health resort, for the Germans were still shelling
the place with plenty of high explosives and gas, and one recalls
the neighbourhood of the big church tower as a specially un-
healthy spot.

Life for those in the town became a matter of wandering
about the streets by day, wondering where the next one would
come to, and living in a cellar by night. One company of
the Bedfordshire Regiment found itself a very comfortable
headquarters in a house that had been a German officers'
club from the early days of the war till very recently. There

were a number of French civilians in the town, and they took
things very philosophically, coming out each morning and clean-
ing their doorsteps as if there were no war on. Their satisfac-
tion at the turn of events which had brought British troops back
to Le Cateau after over four years of German occupation was
only natural, and French fiags, hidden away Heaven knows
where through the weary months in anticipation of a day of
deliverance, at long last now fluttered from the attic windows.
Whether any of these flags could be seen by (ierman observers
is difficult to say, but several came down in the course of the
evening " hates," when shelling intensified, and houses fell in
all directions. These frequent crashes, when houses would
suddenly flop across a street, and bricks and tiles fell in all
directions, made the evening hours somewhat unpleasant.
Happily, the German gunners, ever men of method and punctu-
ality, stuck to the time-table idea to the last, so that, having
once found that shelling was very light in the mornings, one
was safe in carrying on sight-seeing before lunch.

Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Percival has given me the following
notes of the mingled excitement and humour of this period : — ■

" Soon after taking over the line 1 met the commanding officer
of the battalion on our left, and he informed me that his men
had captured and were holding the gullies by Richmont Mill,
about 400 yards in front of the left of our line. As these gullies
were in the front allotted to us, I told him 1 would take them
over, and we went forward together to look at the ground.

" On arriving at the gullies we were surprised to find no men
there, and on calling out we received no response. Shortly after-
wards my runner made a dash with his rifle into a hole, from
which he produced a live Bosche. As we were both unn med
except for walking-sticks we thought it was time we got lack
to our own lines ! We took the Bosche prisoner back with us,
and got some useful information from him.

" The following day an amusing incident occurred. I sent
my Adjutant, Captain Methuen, over to the headquarters of
a neighbouring battalion to keep liaison with them. Captain
Methuen was wearing a black waterproof of a nautical cut,
and the Adjutant of the neighbouring battalion apparently
regarded this with suspicion. There was the added fact that
Captain Methuen had only recently acted as my Adjutant,
and was not known personally to the officers of this other
battalion. As a result he was closely followed back to our
headquarters by a runner, who annoimced that he had been
ordered to keep him in sight and see where he actually went to !"

The operations now to be undertaken were a part of the
general advance. The scheme, seen " in the big," was that the
Fourth Army, in conjunction with the Third, was to gain the
western edge of the Forest of Mormal, and objectives farther

191

north. The 13th Corps was to attack with the i8th Division
on the left and the 25th on the right.

General Lee (i8th Division) decided to attack with our Brigade
(less the Northamptonshires) on the left, and the 53rd Brigade
on the right, and having taken the first and second objectives
to send the 55th Brigade, with 6th Northamptonshires attached,
through to the final objectives, which were beyond Bousies.
The attack was so timed that the 55th Brigade should get into
the close country round Bousies about dawn on October 23rd.
The distances to the first and second objectives, with which the
two attacking battalions of this Brigade were concerned, were
approximately 3,500 and 5,500 yards respectively. The Brigade
arranged to attack with the Bedfordshire Regiment to the first
objective, and the Fusiliers to the second.

Zero was at 1.20 a.m. on October 23rd. The early part of the
night was wet, but the weather cleared later, and the battalions
reached their forming-up places on and around the railway
embankment without difficulty. This was the first time the
Brigade had attempted a big attack by moonlight. Fortunately,
there was a ground mist during the forming-up time, and this
enabled the Bedfordshires, who were to be the first over, to gel-
well out in front of the embankment without attracting too
much notice. But the enemy were obviously very nervous,
and indulged in a good deal of shelling, including gas, which
caused some casualties. .

The barrage came down well, and the Bedfordshires, although
troubled by an enemy machine gun between them and the
barrage, got well away, dealt with the machine gun, and pushed
on, followed by the Fusiliers. The German replied promptly
and heavily to our barrage, and we had a number of casualties
in the early stage of the attack.

Some opposition was met with in three sunken roads near
Richemont Mill, but this was speedily overcome, with the ex-
ception of one post, which remained in action after the Bedford-
shires had passed over it, and was finally mopped up by the
Fusiliers.

The moon was not putting in much work, and the attack
pressed forward with the mingled advantages and drawbacks
of darkness This caused some confusion and lack of direction
to many parties, and when daylight came the dead of our own
Brigade and of the 33rd Division (on our left) were found lying
together in one another's area. But the advance continued
methodically. The enemy were in great strength, but our
artillery inflicted heavy casualties, many prisoners were taken,
and whenever resistance was offered our infantry killed large
numbers.

The leading battalion had some heavy fighting at White
Springs, rather more than half-way to the first objective, but
managed to deal with this with the help of a half company

192

brought up from Richmont Mill, and finally reached a road
running directly across our front, some 500 yards short of their
objective. Some companies of the Bedfordshire Regiment mis-
took this for their objective. As a result they halted, and the
Fusiliers passed through and carried on the advance, shortly
afterwards capturing eleven guns.

The Fusiliers now got well ahead, and one company (Captain
Hornfeck), moving through the outskirts of Forest, reached its
objective north-west of Epinette. There, however, it had both
flanks in the air, and, fired on from all sides, was forced to retire
behind the ridge at the north-east corner of Forest. Here it
rejoined the other leading company, which, having lost its way,
was digging in under the impression that it was on its objective.

It was now about 6 a.m., and the attack came to a temporary
standstill till about 7.30 a.m., when the 7th Buffs f55th Brigade)
passed through the Fusiliers according to programme, and with-
out much difficulty went beyond the second objective in front
of Epinette. Soon afterwards the Fusiliers and Bedfordshires
moved • forward to their original objectives, re-organized, and
dug in. At the same time advanced Brigade headquarters
moved to White Springs.

In the afternoon our Brigade took over the front from the
53th Brigade, the Northamptonshires, who had now returned
to us, relieving the 7th Buffs. Brigade headquarters and the
rest of the Brigade moved into Forest, and with orders to renew
the attack at dawn on the following day we settled down for
any rest that could be had.

The attack on the 23rd, which has now been briefly described,
had gone through with all the smoothness the optimistic could
expect. We took 14 guns (ir by the Fusiliers and 3 by the
Bedfordshires), 6 trench mortars, 80 machine guns, and 3 anti-
tank rifles, as well as 250 prisoners — not such a bad day con-
sidering that the total strength of the two attacking battalions
that day was just under 800 officers and men. Our casualties
had been — Fusiliers, 2 officers and 62 other ranks ; Bedford-
shires, 4 officers and 165 other ranks.

And now one comes up against the same old difficulty — at
any rate this is the last chapter, and it will not bother me much
longer — of attempting some selection from the numbers of
instances of personal gallantry.

Take the Fusiliers first. I suppose it will be agreed that they
had the nastiest moments in getting away from the forming-up
line, for they followed the Bedfordshires, and the enemy, already
jumpy, and very suspicious about the railway embankment,
now plastered it with all the metal to hand.

At the beginning of this action the company led by Captain
W. Hornfeck had to pass in single-file under the railway bridge
and across a narrow footbridge. The enemy had this point
well marked, and put down a heavy barrage on it as soon as

193

our own guns opened. Seeing that the men in front faltered
for a moment, Captain Hornfeck pushed forward to the bridge,
and remained there under continual artillery and machine-gun
fire until the last man was across, cheering them on by his
fearless behaviour. It was his company that, as already men-
tioned, pushed forward beyond Epinette. There they hung on
for over two hours with both flanks in the air. Five of the field
guns taken by the Brigade were captured by this company.

Unluckily, Captain Hornfeck had one foot practically cut off
by a shell while forming up his company for the attack on the
following day. In spite of this he superintended the forming-up
under heavy artillery fire, cheered his men on as they went
forward at the right moment. His leg was afterwards ampu-
tated.

Good work was done by Sergeant A, Palmer on the 23rd.
He was in charge of the right platoon of the Fusiliers. In the
darkness touch was lost with the battalion on our right (53rd
Brigade), and our right flank came under heavy machine-gun
fire. Locating the gun which was giving most trouble, this
N.C.O. pushed forward with two men over open ground, rushed
the gun, killed one of the team and took two others prisoner,
and so enabled his platoon to get forward. He then took out
a patrol under heavy fire and succeeded in getting touch with
the battalion on his right.

Of the work of the Bedfordshires that day Lieutenant-Coloqel
A. E. Percival has given me the following notes : —

" The battalion met with considerable opposition during the
early part of the attack, especially " B " Company on the right,
under Lieutenant Lang, and was held up at the start by a number
of enemy machine guns. A very fine bit of work was done by
Sergeant Rickard, who crawled forward, accompanied by a
runner (Private Flute), and put a whole machine-gun crew out
of action. They both received the D.C.M.

Meanwhile " C " Company on the left, led by Lieutenant
Chester, had cleared the gullies after heavy fighting, enabling
" A " Company (Lieutenant Hart) to pass through and attack
the sunken road at White Springs. Very heavy fighting occurred
at this spot, and many of the enemy were killed. " D " Com-
pany (Captain Rice) then took up the attack, and eventually
reached the final objective. An inspection of the ground after-
wards showed the very heavy nature of the fighting, which was
proved by the large number of enemy dead and captured machine
guns.

" The battalion moved into Forest just before dusk that
evening, and settled down for the night, but at about 10 p.m.
we were warned that we should have to continue the attack
the next morning. It was not until 1.30 a.m. (on the 24th)
that we received definite orders, and we had to be in position
in front of Bousies, about two miles distant, ready to attack

194

at 4 a.m. This did not leave much time, but rapid marching,
and sending officers on in front to reconnoitre the village, got
the battalion in position in support of the Northamptonshires
about a quarter of an hour before zero. 2nd-Lieutenant Tysoe
rendered valuable assistance by carrying out a reconnaissance
of the village and surrounding country during this night."

With regard to the good work by Sergeant Kickard which
Colonel Percival mentions, the official account of his action was
as follows : —

" Shortly after the start his platoon was held up by an enemy
machine gun, which had been pushed forward inside our barrage,
and seven of his men were hit, including the Lewis-gun section.
Realizing the danger to the rest of the battalion if this machine
gun were allowed to remain in its present position. Sergeant
Rickard took the Lewis gun himself, and went forward with
one runner, who carried the drums. He got within six yards of
the machine-gun post and then opened fire, putting the gun
out of action and killing or wounding all the crew, ten in number.
Foflowed by the rest of the platoon, he then fought his way
forward, putting out of action several other machine-gun posts."

Private F. Flute, the runner who promptly picked up some
Lewis-gun drums and followed Sergeant Rickards, is reported in
the official account as having personally dealt with a sniper
who was attempting to knock out the Sergeant.

The attack was continued at 4 a.m. on the 24th. Orders
arrived from Division in the early hours, and were at once com-
municated verbally to the Royal Fusiliers and Bedfordshires,
who moved off at once; and a motor-car took orders to the
Northamptonshires, who, it will be remembered, were now
holding the line, having relieved the Buffs (5,5th Brigade). It
was decided to attack with the Northamptonshires, who were
to take the first objective, the other battalions then leap-
frogging through to the final objective.

Our barrage came down at zero (4 a.m.), but was rather
ragged and short, and caused a number of casualties in our
own ranks. Our attack got well away, however, and the German
reply was not particularly' heavy. But the darkness and the
close nature of the country proved a great hindrance. As a
restilt our men soon lost the barrage, and a number of hostile
machine guns began to give a great deal of trouble. The sup-
port battalions (Fusiliers and Bedfordshires) became involved
in the fighting within the first 700 yards, but pushed on, and
duly went through the Northamptonshires according to pro-
gramme on the line of a road that runs south-east from Bousies
Wood Farm.

The enemy had now pulled himself together, and though it
was some comfort to know that he was only putting up desperate
rearguard actions, it is just as unpleasant, and fully as fatal, to
be killed in a show of this kind as in a full-dress battle. It must

195

be remembered that the country rather lent itself to delaying
actions, for after a spell over bare, open ground, not unlike our
own South Downs, we were now among orchards, with thick
hedges all strongly wired and very difficult to get through.
More than ever the war had come down to the platoon and section
commanders, and jolly well they rose to the occasion.

About dawn the Clermans put in a couple of brisk little counter-
attacks, one on the right company of the Northamptonshires,
and one on the Fusiliers at Bousies Wood Farm, but both were
driven off with loss. The Fusiliers now got forward, taking
and passing the wired line in front of Bousies Wood Farm, but
could not get across the top of the ridge, which was swept by
machine guns from the little valley beyond. Trouble was also
being caused on our right by machine guns in and around
Renuart Farm, and others that had survived the attack of the
55th Brigade still farther on our right were enfilading our front
line and making movement in the rear of it practically im-
possible. With these several hindrances the attack came to a
standstill pending further artillery preparation.

This was arranged for with Division. Unluckily, the heavies
took on certain German lines which were shown on aeroplane
photographs, but which were now as a matter of fact held by
us. As a result we suffered a number of casualties, and in addi-
tion, as some of the guns were shooting short, our suppoii:
companies were shelled out of their positions.

During the afternoon Brigadier-General O. C. Borrett, C.M.G.,
D.S.O., was taken ill and evacuated, and I.ieutenant-Colonel
R. Turner, D.S.O., of the Northamptonshire Regiment, assumed
temporary command of the Brigade.

About this time a fine piece of work by Lieutenant F. W.
Hedges, Bedfordshire Regiment, attached 6th Battalion North-
amptonshire Regiment, who was in command of the company
now held up in front of Renuart Farm, enabled the advance to
be continued. For this action he was awarded the Victoria
Cross. The official account says : —

His company was on the right of the Brigade front. He
advanced a considerable distance to a point where his further
advance was held up by about six machine-gun posts on the hill
opposite the line. Early in the afternoon this officer made up
his mind to clear out these enemy posts. Later, accompanied
by one sergeant, and followed at some distance by a Lewis-gun
team, he proceeded up the hill, under cover of a hedge, killed
the first machine gunner, and took two other prisoners. He
then worked his way along the crest of the hill, and dealt with
three other machine-gun posts in a similar manner, taking the
feed-blocks out of the guns, his total being four machine guns
and fourteen men."

As a result of this fine piece of work the whole line, after being
held up for some hours, was able to get forward. An advance

196

was made at this point, and almost simultaneously the other
three companies of the Northamptonshires, who had been held
up around Bousies Wood Farm, turned the enemy position from
the north. With these two tactical successes to our credit,
the enemy resistance collapsed. At 5 p.m. the Bedfordshires
captured Renuart Farm, the attack pushed forward, and by
6 p.m. the Brigade had reached a line near the Englefontaine-
Robersart road, and had obtained touch with the flanks.

That night we were relieved by the 53rd Brigade, and by
dawn on the 25th the Fusiliers and Northamptonshires had
been withdrawn to Bousies, and the Bedfordshires to Epinette
Farm.

In the fighting of the 24th the Brigade took 100 prisoners and
20 machine guns, the grand total for the two days being 350
prisoners, 14 guns, 6 trench-mortars, 100 machine guns, and
3 anti-tank rifles.

Among much good work this day (24th), that of two young
Fusilier officers was rewarded by the M.C. The official accounts
read as follows : —

Lieutenant G. E. Tyler " led his company forward with entire
disregard for personal safety, rushing several machine-gun posts
at the head of his men. He was badly shot through the lungs
while consolidating, but continued to direct operations for
nearly three hours until collapsing."

Lieutenant E. L. Moody " shortly after the start of the attack
found himself in charge of three companies, the officers of two
companies having become casualties. He did fine work in
re-organizing them when held up, and afterwards in consolidation,
walking about freely under heavy machine-gun fire. In the
evening he took charge of the battle patrols going forward, and
succeeded in gaining a considerable amount of ground."

It was, by the way, just about this time that the newest
thing in hand-to-hand lighting took place — a duel with a Lewis
gun, which is a very messy way of settling an argument. I
think it was a Bedfordshire Lewis gunner, carrying his gun,
who suddenly came on a Bosche in a shell-slit. The Bosche
sprang out, seized hold of the Lewis gun, and attempted to
wrest it from our man. A great struggle took place, in the
course of which the German held the muzzle of the gun at his
belt, and, clutching the barrel-casing, pulled as hard as he could.
Let his fate be a hint to you, if you are ever quarrelling over
the possession of a Lewis gun, for at this moment our man
pressed the trigger, there was a sudden burst of fire, and — well,
you can imagine that a German who has taken about twenty
rounds all at once in his stomach is not a drawing-room ornament.

After forty-eight hours' rest the Brigade relieved the 55th
Brigade, and each of our three battalions had a turn in the line.
We held a two-battalion front till October 30th, when the right
sector was taken over by the 50th Division, and our Brigade

197

sector was reduced to a one-battalion front. This extended
from the Robersart-Preux-au-Bois road northwards for about
1,200 yards. On November ist the Royal Fusiliers relieved the
Bedfordshires, who went into support at Bousies, while the
Northamptonshires were in support in Epinette orchards.
These dispositions remained unchanged until November 3rd,
when the front of the Royal Fusiliers was extended a further
1,000 yards, in order to take in the whole of the Brigade front
for the attack on the 4th.

This attack, which was to prove the Brigade's last show,
was a part of a daylight attack on a large scale over a very
wide front. So far as we were concerned, our objective was
the village of Preux-au-Bois, on the western edge of Mormal
Forest.

Putting the matter simply, we now held a line parallel with and
a little west of the Robertsart-Englefontaine road, one of
those straight-ruled roads of France, which here ran roughly
north and south. From here to the centre of Preux was roughly
1,500 yards. The plan was for the Northamptonshires (less one
company) to make the initial attack, and seize the ground on
the north of the village. This done, the Bedfordshires, with
one company Royal Fusiliers and the remaining company of
the Northamptonshires, were to form up on the north of the
village and attack in a southerly direction, mopping up the
village. The rest of the Royal Fusiliers, still holding the line
opposite the west side of the village, were in the meantime to
keep the enemy amused with Lewis guns, rifles, and rifle-
grenades, in the hope of deceiving him as to the real point
of attack.

Zero was at 6.15 a.m. Our barrage came down well, and the
Northamptonshires got well away, the enemy reply, though
prompt, not being over heavy. Within the first 200 yards
some opposition was encountered, but this did not prove serious,
the only hitch in the proceedings being enfilade machine-gun
fire on our right, from a point somewhere at the north-east
corner of the village. This was a little troublesome just before
the eastern objective was reached, but did not delay proceedings,
and at 8 a.m., well up to programme, this part of the job had
been successfully carried out.

The next attack, which had to start from the north of the
village, on the ground just won, and push south, now formed
up under the enfilade barrage, which was exceptionally accurate
and good. The weather had been clear early, but soon after
6.30 a.m. a thick fog came down, which did not clear till about
g a.m., and proved of some .service.

While this southerly attack was forming up, about one com-
pany of the enemy counter-attacked down a little valley north-
east of the village, but the Northamptonshires dealt firmly with
this attempt to spoil a show that was going very well up to the

1 98

present. Accordingly our second attack got away unhindered,
but after the first 500 yards strong opposition was encountered.
The company of the Fusiliers was now held up by machine-gun
fire from near a house on the Robertsart main road, the two left
companies of the Bedfordshires were heavily engaged near the
cemetery and making but slow progress, and the company of
the Northamptonshires taking part in this second attack was
also held up by machine-gun fire.

Four tanks had been allotted to the Brigade, and were to
accompany this southerly attack and mop up the village, one
being attached to the Royal Fusiliers and Northamptonshires
companies, and two to the Bedfordshires. However, they had
by this time somewhat lost their way, and three of them were
now operating with the two right companies of the Bedford-
shires. These two companies were thus enabled to make good
progress, and by about ten o'clock had fought their way through
the village to near the church, where they gained touch with
the 2nd Munster Fusiliers (30th Division), who had come up
from the south, and proceeded to mop up.

By this time the enemy was well shaken, and except for
isolated parties his resistance became weaker. By 11 a.m. the
right company of the Royal Fusiliers (which had been holding
our old front opposite the village, and had delivered a dummy
attack at zero) was able, by keeping constant pressure on the
enemj', to clear the cross-roads on the Robertsart- Preux road ;
and the company attacking from the north of the village, very
ably led by Captain Hope, was able to clear the enemy from the
point where machine guns had earlier proved troublesome, and
to capture over 100 pri.soners.

By this time one battalion 53rd Brigade had leap-frogged
through the Northamptonshires and pushed ahead, so that
early in the afternoon the Division had gained a line 2,500 yards
east of Preux, and was still pushing on.

Our job was done. The battalions went into billets among
the cellars and ruined houses of Preux, with orders to be ready
at half an hour's notice on the following day to take up the pur-
suit. Not to make a long story any longer, the pursuit managed
to do without us, an acquaintance of considerably over three
years with Jerry had come to an end, and on November 6th
we moved back to rest at he Cateau, where we were when news
of the armistice reached us.

Some mention, all too brief, has already been made of the
good work done by the company of the Royal Fusiliers that took
part in the southerly attack through the village of Preux. This
was as a matter of fact a composite company, the remains of
two others — " C " and " D " — and was commanded by lieu-
tenant (acting Captain) P. A. Hope, who for his courage and fine
leadership was awarded the D.S.O. The official account
stactes : —

199

" Although held up by machine-gun nests and the break-
down of the tank which was to deal with them, at the commence-
ment of the attack, he eventually succeeded in breaking through
with some twenty men. Without waiting for the remainder
he at once pushed on with such effect that he succeeded in
clearing up the whole area, capturing over 20 machine guns
and some 200 prisoners, including five officers. The success of
the attack in this area was entirely due to his leadership and
determination, while the example of coolness and courage he
set the men was beyond all praise."

Some good work was done with this company by Private
D. Sale (" C " Company), who was also decorated. Says the
official account : —

" The company was held up by heavy machine-gun fire. He
at once pushed forward alone with his Lewis gun, and, although
under heavy fire the whole time, got his gun into action and
succeeded in silencing several enemy machine guns."

Captain R. B. Fawkes, M.C., of the 6th Northamptonshire
Regiment, also won the D.S.O. that day. According to the
official account, " he commanded the company taking the first
of the battalion's objectives. This company met with consider-
able opposition from the start, but he led it successfully to the
objective bj^ skilful handling and fire tactics, and by the fine
example he set his men, being absolutely fearless. The com-
pany won its way by rifle and machine-gun fire, captured a
number of machine guns, and took over 100 prisoners."

The third D.S.O. won that day went to Captain R. L. V.
Doake, M.C., of the Bedfordshire Regiment. " He was in com-
mand of one of the leading companies of the assault [says the
official account]. The enclosed nature of the country called for
special individual leadership on the part of officers and N.C.Os.,
and in this respect Captain Doake set a splendid example,
being always in the thick of the fighting, and himself killing a
large number of Germans. He led his company forward when
the companies on either flank were held up, reached his final
objective, and then sent parties out to either flank to help the
other companies forward. This was completely successful."

Just one little personal narrative of this last fight of the
Brigade. I quote from some notes kindly sent me by Lieu-
tenant-Colonel A. E. Percival : —

" Some excellent shooting by Bedfordshire officers is recorded
during this attack. In one case Captain Doake, commanding
' C ' Compan}^ was moving through the orchards towards the
village, accompanied by his batman, when he saw through a
hedge a party of four Bosches with a machine gun not more than
twenty yards away. He and his batman opened fire, and he
claims to have brought down all the four Bosches with four
rounds.

" Lieutenant Goben found himself face to face with a Bosche
in a sht near the attack. The Bosche was armed with a rifle,
and Goben had a revolver, and each side fired four rounds
before Lieutenant Goben became the victor. His subsequent
remark was that ' It would have been damned funny if it had
not been so extremely dangerous.'

" No less than 1,400 civilians were liberated from the village,
and also several Alsatian soldiers who had been in hiding there
for a fortnight, awaiting our arrival. The civilians were very
hospitable, and in many cases our men were enjoying cups of
coffee in the houses before the enemy had been finally evicted
from the village.

" One of the last sights seen by the battalion on this final
day of active operations was a stout Frenchwoman chasing a
big German down the street with a pitchfork in her hand."

So, roughly speaking, that Frenchwoman chasing a German
out of Preux-au-Bois was the end of the wares far as this Brigade
was concerned. There followed a short rest at Le Cateau, where
the armistice was celebrated, a few weeks at Serain, and finally
a move to Selvigny (Brigade headquarters and 2nd Bedford-
shire Regiment) and Walincourt (nth Royal Fusiliers and 6th
Northamptonshire Regiment), where we spent our last Christ-
mas in France, carried on salvage and education, and gradually
dwindled away as officers and men were demobilized. A very
quiet, a very unexciting ending to it all — and yet not the end,
for all of us, officers and men alike, made friendships and com-
radeships that we shall never willingly sever, and for many
years to come it will always be a good introduction, when white-
haired old veterans meet, to say : " Hullo ! Weren't you in
the old 54th Brigade ? Shake !"

Appendix A.
BRIGADE COMMANDERS.

Brigadier-General H. Browse-Scaife (September, 191 4 — March,

1915)-
Major-General W. C. G. Heneker, C.M.G., D.S.O. (Match, 1915—

December, 1915).
Major-General T. H. Shoubridge, C.M.G., D.S.O. (December,

1915 — March, 1917).
Brigadier-General C. Cunliffe Owen, C.B. (March, 1917 —

October, 19 17).
Brigadier General L. de V. Sadleir- Jackson, C.B., C.M.G.,

D.S.O. (October, 191 7 — March, 1919).
* Brigadier-General J. A. Tyler, C.M.G. (August — September,

1918).
♦Brigadier-General O. C. Borrett, C.M.G., D.S.O. (October-
November, 191 8).

* Commanded Brigade during absence of Brigadier-General
Sadleir-Jackson, woimded.

BRIGADE MAJORS.

Major Rich.

Major O. P. L. Hoskyns.

Lieutenant-Colonel The Hon. C. M. Hore-Ruthven, D.S.O.

Major E. G. Miles, D.S.O., M.C.

Captain G. F. J. Cumberlege, D.S.O., M.C.

Captain G. D. Pidsley, D.S.O., M.C.

Captain The Hon. D. G. Fortescue, M.C.

STAFF CAPTAINS.

Major L. A. Newnham, M.C.

Captain H. B. Stutfield.

Major C. Runge, D.S.O., M.C.

Captain O. C. Johnson, M.C.

Captain L. W. Diggle, M.C.

Captain H. C. Browning, M.C. (acting Staff Captain)

COMMANDING OFFICERS.
iiTH (S.) Battalion The Royal Fusiliers.

Lieutenant-Colonel C. C. Carr, D.S.O. (September, 1914 —

September, 19 17).

Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Sulman, M.C. (September, 191 7 —

July, 1918).

Lieutenant-Colonel K. D. H. Gwynn, D.S.O. (July, 1918 —

December, 19 18).

Lieutenant-Colonel G. Blewitt, D.S.O., M.C. (December, 1918 —

January, 19 19).
Lieutenant-Colonel C. F. Miller, D.S.O. (January, 1919 — March,

1919)-

7TH (S.) Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment.

Colonel H. Martin, C.B. (September — December, 1914).
Lieutenant-Colonel E. D. Pickard Cambridge (December, 1914 —

March, 19 15).
Major G. P. Mills, D.S.O. (March, 1915— April, 1915).
Lieutenant-Colonel Allenby (April, 1915 — June, 1915).
Lieutenant-Colonel G. D. Price (June, 1915 — October, 1916).
Lieutenant-Colonel G. P. Mills, D.S.O. (October, 1916 — January,

1918).
Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Percival, D.S.O., M.C. (January, 1918

— May, 191 8).

2ND Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment.

Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Percival, D.S.O., M.C. (May, 1918 —
March, 19 19).

[Note. — Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. Percival was 'commanding
the 7th Battalion when it ceased to exist, and took over command
of the 2nd Battalion, which then joined the Brigade.]

6th (S.) Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment.

Lieutenant-Colonel G. R. Ripley (September, 19 14 — October,

1916).
Lieutenant-Colonel S. H. Charrington, D.S.O. (October, 1916 —

February, 191 7).
Lieutenant-Colonel Meyrick (February 3rd, 191 7 — February

17th, 1917).
Lieutenant-Colonel R. Turner, D.S.O. (March ist, 191 7 —

April, 1918).
Lieutenant-Colonel G. Buckle, D.S.O., M.C. (April 12th, 1918 —

May 3rd, 1918).
Lieutenant-Colonel Le Houquet (May 5th, 1918 — May 13th,

1918).

203

Lieutenant-Colonel Walsh, D.S.O. (May 17th, igi8 — May 29th,

1918).
Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Foster (June, iyi8 — August, igiS).
Major J. H. Piper, M.C. (August, 1918 — September, 1918).
Lieutenant-Colonel R. Turner, D.S.O. (September, 1918 —

January, 1919).
i\Iajor J. H. Piper, M.C. (January — March, 1919).

I2TH (S.) Battalion Middlesex Regiment.

Brigadier-General F. A. Maxwell, V.C, D.S.O. (kiUed).
Lieutenant-Colonel G. C. Glover.
Lieutenant-Colonel Osborne.
Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. H. Johnson.
Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Bridcutt.

Both Field Company Royal Engineers.

Major H. G. Joly de Lotbiniere (now Lieutenant-Colonel, Brevet-
Colonel) (October, 1914 — November, 191 5).

Captain F. J. N. King (November, 1915 — January, 1916).

Captain B. I. Chambers (January, 1916 — March, 1916).

Major A. A.Chase, D.S.O. (March, 1916 — January, 1917), (killed
in action).

Major G. Bremner, D.S.O., M.C. (January, 1917 — March, 1918),
(killed in action).

Major G. Ledgard, M.C. (March, 1918 — March, 1919).

152ND Company Royal Army Service Corps.
Captain E. M. West, M.C. (September, 1914 — March, 1919).

54TH Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps.

Lieutenant-Colonel M. C. Beatty (July, 1915 — April, 1916).
Lieutenant-Colonel D. C. Barron (April, igi6 — February, 1917).
Lieutenant-Colonel G. Pritchard-Taylor, D.S.O., M.C. (February,
1917 — March, 1919).

54TH Trench Mortar Battery.

Captain H. M. Eldridge, M.C. (till August, 1917).
Captain R. Knight, M.C. (August, 1917 — March, 1918).
Captain P. J. Payton, M.C. (March, 1918 — February, 1919).

[Note. — The foregoing lists have been supplied by the units
concerned, who are responsible for their accuracy.]

Appendix B

VICTORIA CROSSES

The following officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of
the Brigade were awarded the Victoria Cross. The ranks given
are those held at the time the awards were made.

Sergeant William E. Boulter, 6th (S.) Battalion
Northamptonshire Regiment.

For most conspicuous bravery. During the capture of Trones
Wood, on July 14th, 1916, one company and a portion of another
were held up by a machine gun, which was causing heavy
casualties.

Sergeant Boulter, realizing the situation, with complete dis-
regard of his own safety, and in spite of being severely wounded
in the shoulder, advanced alone across the open in front of the
gun under heavy fire, and bombed the team from their position,
thereby saving the lives of many of his comrades, and materially
assisting the advance, which eventually cleared Trones Wood.

2nd-Lieutenant T. E. Adiam, 7th (S.) Battalion
Bedfordshire Regiment.

For most conspicuous bravery and gallant leadership during
the operations at Thiepval on September ajth-aSth, igi6.

On the morning of the 27th a portion of the village which
had defied capture the previous day had to be taken at all
rosts, to enable the battalion to form up for an attack on the
ridge beyond. This minor operation was held up by extremely
heavy rifle and machine-gun fire from several strong points.

2nd-Lieutenant Adlam, realizing that time was all important,
dashed across the open under the heaviest fire from shell-hole
to shell-hole to collect his men for a combined rush. He col-
lected a quantity of German grenades, and started a whirlwind
attack on the enemy position. During this period he was
wounded in the leg, so that at times he had to throw from a
kneeling position. In spite of this he succeeded in out-throw-
ing the enemy, and then, seizing his opportunity, in spite of
his wound, he led a rush on the position and captured it, killing
all the occupants of the trench. He continued with his men
throughout the day, leading them with the greatest gallantry
in smaller bombing attacks.

The following day he again displayed the highest courage in
the course of the attack on Schwaben Redoubt. Though again
wounded, this time in the right arm, so that he could no longer
throw bombs himself, he continued to lead his men, with utter
contempt of danger, until he was ordered to the rear.

204

205

Private Frederick J. Edwards, 12th (S.) Battalion
Middlesex Regiment.

For most conspicuous courage, resource, and presence of mind
displayed during the attack on Thiepval on September 26th,
1916.

His part of the hne was held up by a machine gun. The
officers had all become casualties. There was confusion, and
even suggestions of retirement. Private Edwards grasped the
situation at once. Alone and on his own initiative, he dashed
towards the gun, which he bombed until he succeeded in knock-
ing it out. By this gallant act, performed with great presence
of mind and a complete disregard for his personal safety, this
man made possible the continuance of the advance, and solved
a dangerous situation. His was probably one of those decisive
actions which determine the success or failure of an operation.

Private Robert Ryder, 12th (S.) Battalion
Middlesex Regiment.

For most conspicuous bravery and initiative during the attack
on Thiepval on September 26th, 1916.

His company was held up by heavy fire from the trench in
front of them, and all his officers had become casualties. The
attack was flagging for want of leadership. Private Ryder,
realizing the situation, without a moment's thought tor his
own safety, dashed absolutely alone at the enemy trench, and
by skilful manipulation of his Lewis gun succeeded in clearing
the trench.

By this brilliant act he not only made possible, but also
inspired, the advance of his comrades. It seems probable that
this single heroic action made all the difference between success
and failure in this part of the attacking line.

Private Christopher August Cox, 7th (S.) Battalion
Bedfordshire Regiment.

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as a stretcher-
bearer during operations in front of Achiet-le-Grand on
March 15th, 191 7, and subsequent days.

During the attacks on the 15th, under heavy rifle, machine-
gun, and shell fire on an exposed crest, Private Cox worked
continuously, carrying back wounded men on his .shoulders.
On the 1 6th and 17th he continued this work without rest,
and with a complete disregard of his own safety.

This man has been in every engagement in which his bat-
talion has taken part since July, 19 16, and has always displayed
the highest example of unselfishness, devotion, and personal
courage.

2o6

2nd-Lieutenant Alfred Cecil Herring, R.A.S.C, attached
6th (S.) Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment.

For initiative, conspicuous gallantry, and devotion to duty
on March 23rd and 24th, 19 18.

On March 23rd the Germans crossed the Montagne Bridge,
after some fighting, and gained a position on the south bank
of the canal. and-Lieutenant Herring's post was cut off and
surrounded. He immediately counter-attacked with his post,
and recaptured the position, taking over twenty prisoners and
six machine guns.

The post was attacked continuously throughout the night
for eleven hours, and all attacks were beaten off. This was
entirely due to the splendid heroism displayed by 2nd-Lieutenant
Herring, who continually visited his men during the night and
cheered them up. The initiative and individual bravery of this
officer were entirely responsible for holding up the German
advance for eleven hours at an exceedingly critical period.

The late Lance-Corporal Albert Lewis, 6th (S.) Battalion
Northamptonshire Regiment.

On the morning of September i8th, 1918, this N.C.O. was in
charge of a section which he had successfully kept together.
He was on the right of the line, and the battalion started to
advance to attack Ronssoy, where the east and west barrage
opened.

The battalion advanced to a point where the enemy machine-
gun fire was so intense that it was a practical impossibility to
get forward. The barrage went on, and the battalion was
temporarily held up. This man, working with his section on
the right amongst the ruins, observed two enemy machine guns
opposite him, enfilading the whole battalion. He crawled for-
ward single-handed on his own initiative with bombs, got within
bombing range, and successfully bombed the teams manning
the enemy's guns. The enemy left their guns and ran out of
their emplacement. Lance-Corporal Lewis thereupon used his
rifle with good effect, and the whole team surrendered. He
wounded six and captured four unwounded. By his courage
and determination in putting out of action two enemy machine
guns he undoubtedly enabled the battalion to advance, and so
contributed largely to the success that followed.

Later, on September 21st, during another attack, this N.C.O.
displayed splendid power of command. When his company was
caught in the enemy barrage he was the first to rush them
through it, until they came under heavy fire from enemy machine
guns, whereupon he immediately began to place them out in
shell-holes. While doing this he was killed.

207

Lieutenant Frederick William Hedges, Bedfordshire Regiment,
attached 6th (S.) Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment.

For conspicuous gallantry and initiative during operations
north-east of Bousies on October 24th, IQ18.

During the morning this officer, who was detailed to leap-
frog his company to the final objective, handled his company
in a very skilful manner, maintaining direction under the most
difficult conditions. His company was on the right of the Brigade
front.

He advanced a considerable distance to a point where his
further advance was held up by about six machine-gun posts
on the hill opposite the line. Early in the afternoon this officer
made up his mind to clear out these enemy posts. Later,
accompanied by one sergeant, and followed at some considerable
distance by a llewis gun section, he proceeded up the hill under
cover of a hedge, and killed the first machine gunner and took
two other prisoners. He then worked his way along the crest
of the hill, and dealt with three other machine-gun posts in a
similar manner, taking the feed blocks out of the guns, his
total being four machine guns and fourteen men.

The direct result of this officer's action was that the whole
line, which had been held up since morning, was enabled to
advance, thus having a great effect on subsequent operations.

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